-Press Release-
Financial impact of lung cancer in Greece: Higher than the WHO European Region average in nearly all sectors.
FairLife L.C.C., as an active member of Lung Cancer Europe (LuCE), communicated in Greece the 8th Report of the European Organization, entitled “Financial Impact of lung cancer: A European perspective”.
Lung cancer affects the lives of patients and their loved ones on multiple levels. This report highlights the often overlooked financial toxicity which accompanies not only diagnosis but also the immediate costs of treatment and medication, loss of income, and the painful and long-term impact on the economic stability of families. The aim of the report is to shed light on the financial challenges faced by people navigating this difficult disease journey.
Greece was one of the 28 countries of the European region which participated in the report. A total of 120 responses from Greek participants were recorded, which formed the basis for the results of the report specifically within Greece. This number represents 10.3% of the total number of participants for the 8th LuCE Report (120/1,161).
Regarding the characteristics of Greek participants, 38.3% were patients and 61.7% were caregivers. The majority were people aged 55-64, with the proportion of women (67.5%) outweighing the proportion (31.7%) of men. It is important to note that 44.2% of patients (or their relatives) had stage IV disease, with the majority being non-small cell lung cancer (adenocarcinoma).
All figures included in the Greek Report compare data collected from Greek people with the average collected by European participants.
Study results
– The research highlighted the importance of addressing the financial impact of lung cancer in Greece. The financial impact for people in Greece is higher than the corresponding average of people in the WHO European region in nearly all sectors.
– A total of 92.4% of individuals reported financial distress as a result of the disease versus 66.8% of the average European participants. The impact was very significant (quite / very much) for 50.0% of Greek participants.
– The severity of financial toxicity due to lung cancer is so high that 71.7% of Greek participants had difficulty covering certain costs compared to 45.7% of the average European participants.
– 61.4% of Greek participants need more than 20% of their household income to pay for expenses related to lung cancer compared to 31.7% of the European average.
– It is also very important to note that 87.5% of people with financial difficulties agreed that their financial situation had an impact on their access to treatment and care.
– Approximately 75% of Greek participants reported reduced household income since diagnosis compared to 62.9% of the average European participants. 4 in 10 identified work absence as one of the causes for the decrease in income, followed by the inability to work (29.6%).
– The participants’ vast majority (87.4%) were forced to reduce household expenses to deal with expenses after their lung cancer diagnosis.
– Research suggests that lung cancer is a risk factor of financial distress. Financial stress for Greek participants increased from 48.1% (before diagnosis) to 72.2% (after diagnosis). The corresponding percentages in the European average increased from 27.7% to 46.8%.
– Ultimately, 60.2% of people impacted by lung cancer in Greece find it difficult to live on their household income compared to 26.2% of the average of European participants.
– The vast majority of participants (71.2%) had never, or barely, discussed their financial concerns with healthcare teams. This aligns with the average among European participants.
– Treating the disease is often costly, particularly if diagnostic steps – including comprehensive molecular testing – and treatment are not sufficiently covered by the public health system or private insurance programs.
– Additional financial pressures can arise from transportation costs to specialized treatment centers, due to insufficient staffing of health professionals and medical equipment in regional Greek healthcare facilities. This is leading to significant loss of working hours for caregivers and family members who must compensate for these shortages with their presence and involvement.
Call to Action
The report proposes the following solutions and forms of support in the hope of being a valuable resource for health professionals, policy makers, patient advocates and especially individuals and families affected by the disease:
– Screen for financial toxicity and provide programmes to assist with costs, if financial vulnerability is detected.
Healthcare teams should encourage discussions with people impacted by lung cancer to help explore their financial needs. Those affected should be directed to resources and information which can help to reduce expenses associated with treatment and care and to mitigate increased costs because of the disease situation.
– Increase income replacement programme coverage for people unable to work because of lung cancer or caregiving.
Reduction of income due to changes in employment is one of the biggest repercussions of a lung cancer diagnosis. Employed individuals are more likely to experience a drop in income due to the disease. Appropriate compensation benefits should be funded through social welfare systems by governments and provided for those unable to work because of lung cancer.
