ArticleBreast cancer research and treatment2024
Characterization of time toxicity in older patients with metastatic breast cancer.
Article in Breast cancer research and treatment, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Time toxicity in cancer care: a systematic review of definitions and measurement methods.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026Pooled it
- Experiences and coping strategies of time toxicity in young and middle-aged patients with lymphoma: a descriptive qualitative study.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026Article
- Characterizing the Objective Time Spent on Health Care Activities in Clinic and at Home for Patients With Cancer.Cancer medicine · 2026Article
- The experience of time toxicity in cancer patients: a meta-synthesis of qualitative research.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026Review
- Telehealth utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic: comparing breast cancer survivors to non-cancer patients and implications for current practice.Breast cancer research and treatment · 2026Article
- Characterizing and Addressing the Financial, Time, and Administrative Burdens of Cancer and its Care.Current treatment options in oncology · 2025Review
- The weight of time: experience of time toxicity among advanced cancer patients and their family caregivers-a qualitative study.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2025Article
- Time toxicity in cancer care: A concept analysis using Walker and Avant's method.Asia-Pacific journal of oncology nursing · 2024Review
- Patient, Caregiver, and Clinician Perspectives on the Time Burdens of Cancer Care.JAMA network open · 2024Article
- Time's up: the urgency to investigate time toxicity in patients with genitourinary malignancies.Therapeutic advances in medical oncology · 2024Review
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
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Abstract
purposeRecognizing that receiving healthcare can be time intensive and burdensome, time toxicity has been conceptualized as the time spent by patients seeking healthcare. This study investigates the association between age at diagnosis and time toxicity for patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC) and identifies major components of care that confer the greatest time toxicity.
methodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study among patients with MBC aged 67 or older using the SEER-Medicare database. We assessed time toxicity using the number of encounter days patients interacted with the healthcare system per 100 days, within the first year of starting cancer treatment. We used a Poisson model to analyze the association between age and encounter days, adjusting for clinical and sociodemographic factors. We stratified the mean encounter days for each age cohort by treatment types.
findingsThe final sample included 2949 patients; 51.4% were between 70 and 79 years old, and 81.3% were white. Although unadjusted analysis showed an association between older age and more encounter days (Rate Ratio (RR) 1.12; 95% CI 1.02, 1.22), there was no significant association after adjusting for comorbidities and treatment type. Patients with more than three comorbidities had significantly higher encounter days compared to those without comorbidities [RR 1.36 (95% CI 1.26, 1.46)]. Receipt of radiotherapy [RR: 1.45 95% CI (1.37, 1.54)] was associated with more encounter days compared to not receiving radiotherapy, while receipt of bone-modifying agents was associated with fewer encounter days compared to not using Bone modifying agents [RR 0.75 (95% CI 0.70, 0.79)].
conclusionOur study identified comorbidities and cancer treatment modality, including radiotherapy, as the factors affecting time toxicity in older patients with MBC. Assessment of an individual's comorbid medical conditions and types of treatment planned are crucial to understanding age-related impacts on encounter days and to support shared decision making in older patients.
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