{
  "id": 15276342,
  "title": "Patient-centered financial navigation assistance helps reduce financial toxicity among cancer patients",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/17/patient-centered-financial-navigation-assistance-helps-reduce",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-10-17T21:00:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Medical Xpress",
    "slug": "medical-xpress",
    "url": "https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-patient-centered-financial-toxicity-cancer.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Financial toxicity, a prevalent issue among cancer patients, poses a significant burden that can lead patients to delay or forgo treatment and skip medications. This problem was addressed in a clinical trial conducted by UNC Lineberger's Stephanie B. Wheeler, Ph.D., MPH, which presented results at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Quality Care Symposium. The intervention, Lessening the Impact of Financial Toxicity (LIFT), demonstrated a significant reduction in financial toxicity among adult cancer patients. The trial, conducted at eight oncology practice sites in North Carolina, involved 179 patients who received the intervention and 134 who stayed in the study until its completion. Each patient underwent a Comprehensive Score for Financial Toxicity (FACIT-COST) survey to screen for financial toxicity. Patients who screened positive were eligible for the LIFT financial navigation, which included an intake appointment to gather information about their financial and insurance situation, followed by between one and seven short check-in appointments to assist with financial assistance applications and monitor their status. The patients then completed the FACIT-COST survey again to determine their updated financial toxicity score. The results showed an average improvement of 8.1 points on a 44-point scale, indicating reduced financial toxicity. Moreover, the intervention improved health-related quality of life outcomes such as depression and anxiety. This is the first large-scale clinical trial to demonstrate the impact of financial navigation on patients who screened positive for financial toxicity, and the benefits held true for both rural and nonrural residents, regardless of insurance status.",
  "summary": "Among cancer patients, the high financial cost of cancer care is a prevalent problem. This financial burden is also associated with potentially harmful behavioral strategies that patients might use to cope with costs, such as delaying or forgoing treatment and skipping medications. Collectively, researchers refer to this impact as financial toxicity.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}