Abstract 7093: Assessing financial toxicity as a correlate of symptom burden in Latina breast cancer patients
Authors: Melissa Gaviria, Bharat Narang, Ashley M. Rodriguez, Francesca Gany, Eida M. Castro-Figueroa, Victoria Blinder, Rosario Costas-Muñiz
Journal: Cancer Research (2025)

Abstract Background/Objective: Depression, anxiety, insomnia, and fatigue often occur concurrently in cancer patients, with Latinos reporting higher burdens compared to non-Latino Whites. These symptoms adversely affect cancer progression and are associated with elevated cancer mortality. Financial toxicity, the financial distress of patients after a cancer diagnosis, has been linked to poorer cancer outcomes. This study aims to explore the relationship between financial toxicity and depression, anxiety, insomnia, and fatigue in Latina breast cancer patients. Methods: Data was collected from 30 Spanish-speaking Latina breast cancer patients at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center who endorsed symptoms of depressed mood, insomnia, and fatigue. Depression and anxiety were assessed through the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), fatigue was measured through the Fatigue Symptom Inventory (FSI), and insomnia was measured using the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). Financial toxicity was assessed using the FACIT-Cost scale. An independent samples t-test was employed for the analysis, with a p-value of 0.05. Results: The study participants included 30 Latina breast cancer patients with an average age of 58.9 years. 46.7% of patients were married, and most reported limited English proficiency (86.7%). Most patients had stage 1 or 2 breast cancer (86.7%), were currently receiving treatment (56.7%), and were within five years of their breast cancer diagnosis (73.3%). Patients experiencing higher financial toxicity had significantly higher anxiety scores (x̄ = 8.1, SD = 4.5, p = 0.003), depression scores (x̄ = 7.6, SD = 3.2, p = 0.001), insomnia levels (x̄ = 12.0, SD = 7.0, p = 0.035) and fatigue (x̄ = 66.2, SD = 31.0, p &amp;lt; 0.001) compared to those with lower financial toxicity (respectively, x̄ = 4.1, SD = 2.5; x̄ = 3.5, SD = 2.6; x̄ = 8.1, SD = 3.9; x̄ = 26.3, SD = 22.9). Conclusion: Latina breast cancer patients experiencing financial toxicity reported higher levels of depression, anxiety, insomnia, and fatigue compared to those with less financial toxicity, suggesting that financial toxicity has a relationship with symptom burden. Our findings highlight the need to understand how to mitigate financial toxicity to improve cancer care outcomes, or to improve symptom management to reduce financial hardship. Possible interventions might include financial planning with healthcare professionals; leveraging social networks to disseminate financial resource and symptom management information; engaging community health workers and navigators to guide patients and their families toward available financial resources and better symptom management strategies; and building financial self-efficacy and involving family members in financial planning may help lessen the financial distress and symptom burden experienced by Latina breast cancer patients. Citation Format: Melissa Gaviria, Bharat Narang, Ashley M. Rodriguez, Francesca Gany, Eida M. Castro-Figueroa, Victoria Blinder, Rosario Costas-Muñiz. Assessing financial toxicity as a correlate of symptom burden in Latina breast cancer patients [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2025; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2025 Apr 25-30; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2025;85(8_Suppl_1):Abstract nr 7093.