George Kumar, Senior Director. Medical Diagnostics Pan Tumor and GI Cancers at AstraZeneca, shared a post on LinkedIn about a paper by Giancarlo Di Giuseppe et al. published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology:
“A cancer diagnosis during adolescence or young adulthood (typically ages 15–39) imposes deep, lasting economic scars – lost income, disrupted careers, growing debt, and educational setbacks – well beyond the initial treatment period.
Recovery often requires comprehensive social, financial, and healthcare supports to help survivors regain stability and rebuild their lives.
Here’s a comprehensive overview of the enduring economic effects of a cancer diagnosis during adolescence or young adulthood
- Income Loss and Employment Disruption
- Financial Toxicity and Medical Burden
- Credit, Debt, and Financial Hardships
- Education and Cognitive Disruption
- Longer‑Term Economic Trajectory
The most severe economic impacts occur within the first five years post‑diagnosis, but financial effects (higher medical expenses, lower earnings) can persist for years or decades – sometimes across the survivor’s entire working life.
Cancer survivors of childhood or adolescent onset are roughly twice as likely to be unemployed as healthy controls, with survivors of CNS/brain tumors facing up to 5× the unemployment risk.
Implications and Strategies
- Policy interventions – such as access to financial counseling, better insurance coverage, paid sick leave, and disability support – are vital.
- Support services like fertility preservation grants, educational reimbursement, mental health aid, and debt relief programs (e.g., The Samfund) can help mitigate lasting damage.
- Holistic care approaches that include ‘financial navigators’ in oncology settings are recommended to reduce hardship.
Courtesy: ASCO Journal of Clinical Oncology.”
Title: Long-Term Dynamic Financial Impacts Among Adolescents and Young Adults With Cancer: A Longitudinal Matched-Cohort Study
Authors: Giancarlo Di Giuseppe, Arif Jetha, Petros Pechlivanoglou, Jason D. Pole
You can read the Full Article on the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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