TriangleFOR PATIENTS · SOURCE READING
Financial toxicity describes problems a patient has related to the cost of medical care.
Source: Financial Toxicity (Financial Distress) and Cancer Treatment (PDQ®)–Patient Version, National Cancer Institute.
Source updated: June 6, 2024 · Captured 2026-09-09.
Selected source text with whitespace normalised. This Triangle page is not an NCI PDQ summary. Independent clinical review is pending.
Context: General Information About Financial Toxicity (Financial Distress) and Cancer Treatment
The terms financial toxicity and financial distress are used to describe how out-of-pocket costs can cause financial problems for a patient. Out-of-pocket costs are what you pay for your medical care that is not covered by your health insurance. Out-of-pocket costs include the following:
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Copayments: Amount you pay for each health care service, such as a doctor appointment or prescription.
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Deductibles: Amount you pay for your medical care before your health insurance plan begins to pay.
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Coinsurance: Percentage of costs you pay for a service that your health insurance covers after you have paid your deductible; for example, you pay 20% and your insurance pays 80%.
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These costs can be for hospital stays, outpatient services (procedures and tests that can be done without staying overnight in the hospital), medical appointments, and prescription drugs.
Cancer survivors usually report higher out-of-pocket spending than people who have not had cancer. Some cancer survivors report spending more than 20% of their annual income on medical care.
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Financial toxicity may also be called financial distress, financial stress, financial hardship, financial burden, economic burden, and economic hardship.
There have been no randomized clinical trials studying financial toxicity in people with cancer. The information in this summary is mainly based on studies that only included survivors and people with certain cancers, so it may not apply to all people with cancer.
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Preserved source evidence · Independent clinical review pending · Not medical advice