Background. It has been reported that one in ten rural Western Australians experience financial catastrophe whilst receiving cancer treatment. There is a need to understand how rural patients experience and respond to the financial burden imposed by a cancer diagnosis.
Aim. To describe how cancer patients experience and manage their treatment-related costs.
Methodology. Two hundred and eighty-five adults who had completed treatment for breast, lung, colorectal or prostate cancer and resided in one of four rural regions of WA reported financial characteristics relating to treatment decision making and assistance accessed. Chi squared tests were conducted to identify characteristics associated with accessing financial assistance, experiencing financial catastrophe, and being impacted by financial factors during treatment decision-making.
Key Findings. Sixty-eight participants (24%) reported that their treatment decision-making was affected by financial factors, 153 (54%) accessed financial assistance, and 52 (18.2%) experienced financial catastrophe. Financial catastrophe was experienced by a greater proportion of participants who resided outside the South West region (26% vs 16%, p=0.036), who had private health insurance (27% vs 10%, p=0.003), who travelled for treatment (32% vs 12%, p<0.001), or who changed employment after diagnosis (33% vs 18%, p=0.023). More participants who resided outside the South West (78% vs 32%, p<0.001), had breast cancer (61% vs 49%, p=0.047), or travelled for treatment (82% vs 28%, p<0.001) received financial assistance.
Conclusions. These findings promisingly suggest cancer patients that require financial assistance are receiving it. They will be used in multivariate analyses to further explore patient financial burden and financial assistance utilisation.