Integrating Financial Toxicity Assessment in Cancer Treatment: Implications for Medical Oncology Training

Financial burden or toxicity associated with cancer treatment is defined as problems a patient may face related to the costs of medical care. Financial toxicity has been widely documented in the oncology literature and has been associated with a host of negative outcomes, including impaired quality of life, treatment non-adherence and greater risk of mortality. These negative outcomes prompted a call to action among oncology providers to take the lead in discussions of financial burden and costs of care among patients. However, to date, oncologists feel ill prepared to initiate these discussions and few patients feel this is part of their routine oncologic care. Moreover, little attention has been given to the training of future clinicians in oncology to effectively discuss costs of care. The development and implementation of provider communication training programs and integration of appropriate financial toxicity screening will enable cost of care discussions to become routine and help dissipate patient discomfort.