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e19400 Background: The impact of ovarian cancer (OC) is wide-reaching; this study explored cancer-related financial burden related to cost of care in people ever diagnosed with OC. Methods: 64 OC patients enrolled in Cancer Support Community’s Cancer Experience Registry. Participants provided demographic and clinical history, and completed 1) CancerSupportSource, a validated 25-item tool with anxiety and depression risk subscales, and 2) the 11-item COmprehensive Score for financial Toxicity (COST). Descriptive statistics were calculated for responses; Pearson/Spearman correlations and one-way ANOVA (Tukey post-hoc) were used to explore bivariate associations between financial burden, depression/anxiety risk, and demographic/clinical variables. Results: Participants were 91% non-Hispanic White, mean age = 57 years, SD= 15. 55% were currently receiving treatment (47% chemotherapy); 33% ever experienced metastatic disease. 22% reported annual income of ≤$40,000; 19% were not-employed due to disability. 13% spent $500+/month on out-of-pocket costs; 63% reported that a health care team member did not discuss cost of care with them. 36% did not know if they had enough assets to cover cancer treatment costs; 1 in 10 (11%) reported they could not meet monthly expenses. 1 in 3 reported (“quite a bit” to “very much”) worry about future financial problems resulting from illness/treatment (39%) and frustration that they cannot work or contribute as much as usual (34%). Greater financial burden was associated with lower income ( r= -.40, p= .001), greater out-of-pocket costs ( r= .24, p= .03), and not working due to disability F(5,58) = 3.84, p= .01. Among respondents, 38% were at risk for clinical depression; 44% for anxiety; greater financial burden was related to depression risk ( r = .51, p< .001) and anxiety risk ( r= .32, p= .012). Conclusions: Financial burden affects many people with ovarian cancer and is associated with poorer psychosocial outcomes. Ovarian cancer patients and survivors can benefit from access to comprehensive supportive care resources, including financial counseling. Cancer Support Community offers resources that may help, including a toll-free Helpline with a dedicated financial counselor. Future work will examine multivariate predictors of financial burden in ovarian cancer. Clinical trial information: NCT02333604 .

e20700 Background: The MyLifeLine.org Cancer Foundation established a website (MyLifeLine.org) in 2007 to provide a dedicated home base for communication between a cancer patient and his/her support circle. The premise of this program is the assumption that internet messaging fosters support and communication between patients and wellwishers in a more convenient format than use of standard communication, such as telephone use. Methods: In October, 2008, an email survey was conducted among the 250 individuals that made use of this home base for communication. Survey respondents were informed that the information tallied would be used anonymously for analysis of pattern use, and for publication. All data was collected anonymously. Results: Thirty-three percent of users submitted survey answers. Users were in all phases of cancer treatment. By age and gender, 64% of users were female, and 80% of users were between the ages of 30 and 70. Forty-one percent of respondents used this communication tool at least once a week. Seventy-one percent of users reported an improved sense of communication through use of this web-based tool. Forty-four percent of users felt this tool limited the number of phone calls they received. Sixty-six percent of users felt that their supporting community were better informed of their health status by mutual use of this home base internet site. Conclusions: This survey demonstrates that internet communication through a dedicated cancer patient home page for two-way messaging provides a number of benefits for support and communication. This tool limited the number of phone calls that would burden a patient receiving cancer care, and improved the sense of connectedness between a cancer patient and his/her support community . Demographics of this web tool user base demonstrate that the majority of users are female, and that its users span the ages of 30–70, which shows the acceptance of internet use by younger and older populations. The survey confirms the premise that initiated the website's inception. Use of this web based tool can be a valuable form of communication for cancer patients and their supporting community. [Table: see text]

Patient engagement is ever more essential to developing innovative strategies that shape how comprehensive, integrated medical care is delivered to cancer patients and their families. With over 300 licensed professionals across the network, Cancer Support Community (CSC) is the largest nonprofit employer of psychosocial oncology mental health professionals in the United States. Through decades of working with cancer patients, families, and caregivers, CSC has developed a portfolio of evidence-informed programs that engage patients around their most pressing concerns—unwanted aloneness, loss of control, and lack of hope. CSC’s facilities, which provide support groups, education, exercise and nutrition classes, children’s programs, and social activities, are available at no cost for families. These services are replicated on CSC’s helpline and digital platforms. This chapter highlights a comprehensive integrated model of developing and delivering evidence-informed psychosocial programs and services in the community. The chapter also reviews CSC patient-centered research projects including (1) the Cancer Experience Registry®, an online observational study of cancer patients, survivors, and informal caregivers to identify and quantify their psychosocial experiences; (2) CancerSupportSource®, a reliable, valid, multidimensional distress screening program for patients and caregivers; and (3) Open To Options®, a shared decision-making program that helps patients prepare a highly personalized list of questions, concerns, and goals to share with their doctor. The extent to which the psychosocial oncology community can integrate care across healthcare systems, by leveraging new technologies, behavioral and implementation science principles, and community-based services, will determine its success in meeting the needs of cancer patients.