Financial toxicity and its psychological sequelae in modern cancer care

Vollständiger Abstract

Worum geht es in dieser Arbeit?

Financial toxicity has emerged as one of the key challenges in modern cancer care. Although traditionally regarded as an economic consequence of cancer diagnosis and treatment, growing evidence indicates that financial distress is also a major determinant of psychological well-being among people with cancer. Financial toxicity extends beyond objective aspects, and includes subjective financial distress, anxiety, uncertainty, employment disruption, debt, isolation, and care-compromising behaviors. Despite well-established associations, financial toxicity remains insufficiently integrated into psycho-oncology frameworks, where it is often viewed as a socioeconomic determinant rather than a core psychosocial outcome. This editorial argues that financial toxicity should be acknowledged as a core component of modern cancer care with direct clinical implications, while reframed as an integral psycho-oncological construct, requiring routine assessment, multidisciplinary management, and regular provider-patient discussions.