The socioeconomic status of childhood cancer survivors and their
families determines the extent of the financial burden associated with
medical costs
Abstract
Background: The number of cancer survivors, including childhood cancer
survivors, is increasing as a consequence of improved therapeutic
options. However, the medical costs associated with therapy are high and
many families are suffering from the resultant financial burden.
Objective: Our study aims to determine the total medical cost for 5
years after the initial diagnosis of childhood cancers. Methods: A
customized dataset from the Korean National Health Insurance Claims
Database was requested for this study. A total of 7,317 patients were
selected to determine the total medical cost related to their treatment.
The costs are presented as the 2% trimmed mean value to exclude extreme
costs. The medical costs were further classified according to cancer
type, treatment phase, and socioeconomic status. Multiple linear
regression analyses were performed. Results: The average total medical
cost per patient is 36.8 million Korean Wons (KRW) or 30,665 United
States Dollars (USD). Among childhood cancers, leukemia was associated
with the highest cost at 53.5 million KRW (USD 44,556). Analysis of
socioeconomic status revealed that the higher income group demonstrated
higher medical expenditure when compared to other groups. Analysis of
the treatment phase showed that costs associated with the early phase of
treatment are the highest, especially in the first 3 months after
initial diagnosis. Conclusion: Cancer treatments are expensive and are a
source of significant financial stress to patients’ families. To
alleviate the financial burden and reduce the socioeconomic disparities
associated with medical care and costs, a better understanding of the
current experience of patients and their families is required.