Assessment of costs related to cancer treatment

Abstract

SUMMARY INTRODUCTION: Cancer patients and their caregivers incur costs not covered by the Sistema Único de Saúde – SUS(Unified Health System) during their treatment, with expenses related to transportation, symptomatic medications, food, loss of working days, and others. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the costs incurred and not covered for cancer patients and their caregivers during cancer treatment at SUS. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study of 110 cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and 88 caregivers in the last month prior to their inclusion in the study. We correlated costs with clinical and sociodemographic variables such as gender, race, age, marital status, education, occupation, place of birth, origin, monthly income, family income, housing, comorbidities, types of cancer, and staging. RESULTS: We observed that the average cost for study patients was R$ 747.92, which corresponds to 78.4% of the minimum wage, and the average cost for caregivers was R$ 118.86, which is 12.46% of the minimum wage. Among all variables analyzed, the average overall monthly cost for patients was positively correlated with the occupation (p = 0.021) and origin (p = 0.038) variables. For the other variables, no significant associations were detected. CONCLUSION: The positive correlation found between occupation and origin variables with costs incurred and not covered for patients suggests that the creation of programs that enable the payment of costs not covered by SUS and the decentralization of access to cancer treatment could potentially facilitate patients' adherence to cancer treatment.

Specialized care and health transport from a Health Care Network integration perspective

“…A study in a state in the northeast of Brazil showed that transport was the highest indirect cost not covered by the SUS related to cancer treatment, equivalent to 19.75% of the minimum wage. The study's findings also reveal that patients living in smaller towns and cities spent more, showing a statistically significant difference in overall costs in comparison with patients from the capital 31 . In this sense, having a fleet of regularly serviced adapted vehicles, thereby minimizing transport risks 9 , is an important factor for guaranteeing access to SC, as shown in the present study.…”

Analysis of the Treatment Costs of Malignant Tumor Diseases in China’s Hunan Province Based on“System of Health Account 2011”

“…This study collecting and organizing data through Excel, and accounting for apportionment to obtain the total cost of malignant tumor treatment in the province based on "System of Health Account 2011", summarized the bene ciary population(gender, disease, and age), institutional ow and nancing of the treatment cost [8] . A multi-factor linear regression analysis was also performed using SPSS25.0 statistical software to analyze the factors affecting hospitalization costs [9] .…”

Atenção Especializada e transporte sanitário na perspectiva de integração às Redes de Atenção à Saúde

“…A ausência de políticas para a provisão de transporte, sobretudo em municípios do interior, torna seu provimento dependente dos insuficientes recursos municipais e dos gastos out-of-pocket. Em estudo realizado em um estado da região nordeste do Brasil, o transporte representou o mais alto custo indireto (não coberto pelo SUS) envolvido no tratamento do câncer -19,75% do salário mínimo, com associação negativa se comparados usuários da capital e do interior 31 . Nesse sentido, presença de veículos adaptados e com manutenção regular, com vistas a minimizar os riscos do transporte inseguro 9 , é um importante arranjo para garantia de acesso à AE, como encontrado neste estudo.…”