18% of cancer patients can’t afford medication, study finds

Summary: “Financial pressures kept cancer patients from filling prescription medications and attending their doctors’ visits, University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers found in a new study,” according to a press release from the center. “More than one-in-four cancer patients surveyed reported they had to pay more for medical care than they could afford, and 18 percent of those patients said they were unable to afford prescription medications.The findings (abstract 6624), presented Saturday, June 4, at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting 2016 in Chicago, raised concerns for the researchers about access to much-needed care for cancer patients – an issue they believe will only increase as the cost of treatments has climbed significantly.” “Cancer Patients Miss Appointments, Prescriptions Due to Inability to Afford Care,” University of North Carolina Health Care System.