Co-authored by Dr Françoise Meunier, the article titled “ESMO expert consensus statements on the screening and management of financial toxicity in patients with cancer,” was published in the European Society for Medical Oncology journal in May 2024.
The paper presents the results of a virtual consensus, based on the evidence base to date, on the screening and management of financial toxicity in patients with and beyond cancer organised by the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) in 2022.
Financial toxicity, defined as both the objective financial burden and subjective financial distress from a cancer diagnosis and its treatment, is a topic of interest in the assessment of the quality of life of patients with cancer and their families. Current evidence implicates financial toxicity in psychosocial, economic and other harms, leading to suboptimal cancer outcomes along the entire trajectory of diagnosis, treatment, supportive care, survivorship and palliation.
Through 25 evidence-informed consensus statements on financial toxicity and management across diverse health systems, developed by 19 multidisciplinary experts from 11 countries, the paper provides a more comprehensive understanding of financial toxicity and guidance to clinicians globally in mitigating its impact, emphasising the importance of further research, best practices and guidelines.
You may access the article here.