Most testicular cancer (TC) survivors have long-term survival. However, the association between financial toxicity (FT), which is an economic side effect of cancer treatment, and the quality of life (QOL) of TC survivors is still unclear. Thus, the impact of FT on the QOL of TC survivors was examined in a multi-institutional cross-sectional study.
We recruited TC survivors from eight high-volume institutions in Japan between January 2018 and March 2019. A total of 562 participants completed the EORTC QLQ-C30, EORTC QLQ-TC26 and the questionnaires on demographics, including annual income. Financial difficulty in the EORTC QLQ-C30 and low income were used to assess financial distress (FD) and financial burden (FB), respectively. FT was defined as FD and FB. The QOL scores were compared, and a multivariate logistic regression analysis for FT was performed.
With severe FD, TC survivors had more treatment side effects, physical limitations, and anxiety concerning employment and future. The TC survivors who reported low income were worried about their jobs and the future. The QOL of the survivors with FT exhibited high impairment, except for sexual activity. In particular, the TC survivors with FT were physically limited and anxious concerning the future. The multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that four or more chemotherapy cycles were substantial risk factors for FT (4 cycles, odds ratio (OR) = 4.17; ≥5 cycles, OR = 6.96).
TC survivors who received multi-cycle chemotherapy were prone to experience FT, resulting in a decline in their health-related QOL.
International journal of urology : official journal of the Japanese Urological Association. 2022 Sep 14 [Epub ahead of print]
Kunihisa Nezu, Shinichi Yamashita, Kenichi Kakimoto, Motohide Uemura, Takeshi Kishida, Koji Kawai, Terukazu Nakamura, Takayuki Goto, Takahiro Osawa, Kazuo Nishimura, Norio Nonomura, Hiromitsu Negoro, Takumi Shiraishi, Osamu Ukimura, Osamu Ogawa, Nobuo Shinohara, Yoshimi Suzukamo, Akihiro Ito, Yoichi Arai
Department of Urology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan., Department of Urology, Osaka International Cancer Institute, Osaka, Japan., Department of Urology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan., Department of Urology, Kanagawa Cancer Center, Yokohama, Japan., Department of Urology, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan., Department of Urology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan., Department of Urology, Graduate School of Medicine and Faculty of Medicine Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan., Department of Urology, Graduate School of Medicine Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan., Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.