Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38067202›Full record

ArticleCancers2023

Financial Toxicity in Swiss Cancer Patients Treated with Proton Therapy: An Observational Cross-Sectional Study on Self-Reported Outcome.

Barbara Bachtiary, Leonie Grawehr, Filippo Grillo Ruggieri, Ulrike Held, Damien C Weber

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cancers, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
4.0field-weighted citation impact, top 5% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 7 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Barbara BachtiaryCentre for Proton Therapy, Paul Scherrer Institute, ETH Domain, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland.
Leonie GrawehrFaculty of Medicine, University of Zurich, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland.
Filippo Grillo RuggieriCentre for Proton Therapy, Paul Scherrer Institute, ETH Domain, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0003-0092-6332
Ulrike HeldDepartment of Biostatistics at Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, 8001 Zurich, Switzerland.
Damien C WeberCentre for Proton Therapy, Paul Scherrer Institute, ETH Domain, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland.
Paul Scherrer Institute · CHUniversity of Zurich · CHUniversity of Bern · CH

Funding

Swiss Cancer League HSR-4668-11-2018
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundProton therapy is indicated for cancers that would be difficult to treat with conventional radiotherapy. Compulsory healthcare insurance covers the costs of this therapy in Switzerland, but this does not mean that proton therapy is cost-neutral for every cancer patient. Significant out-of-pocket (OOP) costs may arise due to expenses associated with proton therapy, and patients may experience treatment-related financial distress-an effect known as "financial toxicity." This study investigates the financial toxicity of patients undergoing proton therapy in a high-income country with a compulsory health insurance policy.

methodsBetween September 2019 and November 2021, 146 Swiss cancer patients treated with proton therapy participated in this study, of whom 90 (62%) were adults and 56 (38%) were caregivers of child cancer patients. Financial toxicity was assessed using the FACIT Comprehensive Score for Financial Toxicity (COST). OOP costs during proton therapy were recorded weekly, and financial coping strategies were captured at the end of treatment.

findingsThe median COST score, indicating financial toxicity, was 29.9 (IQR 21.0; 36.0) for all patients, 30.0 (IQR 21.3; 37.9) for adults, and 28.0 (IQR 20.5; 34.0) for children's caregivers. Higher income (estimate 8.1, 95% CI 3.7 to 12.4,

interpretationA substantial number of cancer patients treated with proton therapy experience financial toxicity in Switzerland. Long travel distances to the proton therapy centre and low income negatively affect the financial well-being of these patients during proton therapy.

Indexed as

financial burdenfinancial toxicityout-of-pocket costsproton therapy

Identifiers

PMID38067202
PMCPMC10705792
OpenAlexW4388858111

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.