Addressing the Financial Burden of Cancer Clinical Trial Participation: Longitudinal Effects of an Equity Intervention

Abstract

Background: The financial burden experienced by patients with cancer represents a barrier to clinical trial participation, and interventions targeting patients’ financial concerns are needed. We sought to assess the impact of an equity intervention on clinical trial patients’ financial burden. Materials and Methods: We developed an equity intervention to reimburse nonclinical expenses related to trials (e.g., travel and lodging). From July 2015 to July 2017, we surveyed intervention and comparison patients matched by age, sex, cancer type, specific trial, and trial phase. We longitudinally assessed financial burden (e.g., trial-related travel and lodging cost concerns, financial wellbeing [FWB] with the COmprehensive Score for financial Toxicity [COST] measure) at baseline, day 45, and day 90. We used longitudinal models to assess intervention effects over time. Results: Among 260 participants, intervention patients were more likely than comparison patients to have incomes under $60,000 (52% vs. 24%, p < 0.001) and lodging-related (32.5% vs. 2.0%, p