Patients with head and neck cancer ‘uniquely disadvantaged,’ face higher medical expenses

Patients with head and neck cancer had higher medical expenses than patients with other cancer types, creating a substantial added burden for an already financially strained population, according to results of a retrospective study published in JAMA Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery.

“It is increasingly important for practitioners and the health care system to understand the financial burden on patients and society,” Sean T. Massa, MD, of the department of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and colleagues wrote. “Individuals with [head and neck cancer] are expected to be particularly vulnerable to the financial strains given the established association with lower socioeconomic status. This study, which used national data from nearly 2 decades, found that patients with [head and neck cancer] in the United States are uniquely disadvantaged compared with patients with other cancer in terms of poverty, educational level and overall health.”