Risk of financial catastrophe for breast cancer patients in Nigeria: A retrospective analysis

Introduction

Cancer imposes significant financial burden on patients in low and middle-income countries like Nigeria, where breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer and has the highest mortality. This study aims to investigate the financial burden of BC care at Lakeshore Cancer Center (LCC) in Nigeria and identify risk factors for financial catastrophe (FC).

Methods

LCC was queried for uninsured patients diagnosed with breast cancers between 2013 and 2023, linked to cost data through chart abstraction of billing data and adjusted to 2023 USD. All costs were out-of-pocket costs (OOP) as all patients were uninsured. Risk for financial catastrophe was defined as OOP exceeding 20 ​% of Nigeria's 2023 per capita GDP ($467). Total OOP and risk for financial catastrophe were measured with descriptive statistics and stratified by clinical characteristics.

Results

352 BC patients (99 ​% female, median age 47, 41 ​% stage 4, 28 ​% stage 3) were included. 260 (74 ​%) patients risked financial catastrophe, despite only 30 ​% completing treatment. Patients with HER2+/HR ​+ ​disease exhibited the highest treatment costs. Among patients that underwent multiple treatment modalities (n ​= ​130), the average OOP was $17992 with 100 ​% risking financial catastrophe. The highest contributors to the cohort's total costs were chemotherapy (29 ​%), immunotherapy (18 ​%), and other drugs (12 ​%). Surgery contributed 7 ​%.

Discussion

Less than one-third of BC patients completed treatment, and the majority faced financial catastrophe, especially those with HER2+/HR ​+ ​disease and patients who underwent multiple treatment modalities or immunotherapy. Targeted efforts are essential to ensure equitable access to quality cancer care while minimizing risk of financial catastrophe.