ArticlePsycho-oncology2026
Out-of-Pocket Costs and Antidepressant Adherence in Head and Neck Cancer Survivors.
Article in Psycho-oncology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundHead and neck cancer (HNC) survivors have a high burden of depression, yet real-world antidepressant adherence and the role of patient out-of-pocket (OOP) costs in this population remain poorly characterized.
methodsWe analyzed a retrospective cohort of US adults with HNC and a new antidepressant prescription in Merative MarketScan databases (2016-2023). We measured 180-day adherence using the medication possession ratio (MPR; adherent if MPR ≥ 80%) and 180-day persistence as no pharmacy-claims gap > 15 days. We summarized antidepressant cost-sharing and used multivariable logistic regression to evaluate associations between index-fill OOP cost and adherence; Kaplan-Meier and Cox models assessed time to first therapy gap by antidepressant class.
resultsAmong 9267 HNC survivors (median age 61 years; 61% male), 42% were adherent and 80% were persistent over 180 days. Six-month antidepressant OOP spending was low (median $10; mean $18). Higher index-fill OOP cost was statistically associated with adherence (adjusted OR 1.02, 95% CI 1.02-1.03), but the magnitude was small over the observed cost range and was not clinically meaningful. Persistence did not differ by single antidepressant class; however, use of multiple antidepressant classes was associated with higher discontinuation risk (HR 2.08, 95% CI 1.84-2.34) relative to SSRI monotherapy.
conclusionsIn this claims-based cohort of HNC survivors, antidepressant OOP costs were modest and did not appear to be a major barrier to adherence. Adherence remained suboptimal, and discontinuation risk was concentrated among patients receiving multiple antidepressant classes, suggesting the need to focus on nonfinancial and clinical drivers of medication continuity.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.