Women go bankrupt to treat breast cancer



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Breast cancer treatment at an early stage is more efficient and accurate than ever – if you can afford it.

Researchers at the Rogel Cancer Center of the University of Michigan found that 38% of patients "We have made a lot of progress in treating bad cancer, but this study shows that we are only doing" 39, part of the way to our goal, "says Reshma Jagsi, author of the statement study. We must now deploy our efforts to deal with the financial devastation of many patients. Researchers interviewed 2,500 patients treated for early-stage bad cancer, as well as 845 surgical surgeons, medical oncologists, and radiation oncologists, the results of which are published in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the United States. American Cancer Society.

The study shows that the financial strain of bad cancer can be disastrous. Fourteen percent of women surveyed reported having lost more than 10% of their family income. in part because insurance does not cover costs enough: 17% of patients spent 10% of their household income on treatment-related medical expenses.

Researchers also found that African-Americans and the Latinas had most financial problems, including the loss of their housing, the closure of their utilities and the reduction of treatment fees.

Worse, patients felt that they could not not ask for help from their doctor or health care provider. Seventy-five percent of those surveyed say they have not received help from the medical office.

The researchers hope that the study will encourage physicians to communicate more openly with patients about the financial burden of treatment and to look for ways to help more.

"To cure a patient's illness at the cost of financial ruin, we must fail in our duty as physicians," says Jagsi. "It's just not acceptable to ignore patients' financial distress any longer."

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