Financial Toxicity in Complex Gastrointestinal Surgery and Correlation with Patient Reported Outcomes.

Abstract

Objectives: To describe financial toxicity (FT) in patients who have undergone gastrointestinal (GI) surgery and its correlation with patients' emotional (EWB) and social well-being (SWB).

Background: FT describes the financial burden associated with treatment and its impact on patient outcomes. Few prior studies have examined FT in gastrointestinal surgery and its impact on patient quality of life.

Methods: Patients who underwent gastrointestinal surgery at our institution were assessed for FT with a validated instrument between Jan 2022 and Jan 2023. EWB and SWB were assessed with a validated instrument. Risk factors for FT were determined using a multivariable model. The correlation between FT and patient EWB and SWB was assessed using Pearson correlation.

Results: 188 patients were surveyed, the majority had pancreatic resections (n = 90, 47.9%), 59 (31.4%) patients experienced FT. On multivariable analysis, categories associated with increased likelihood of exhibiting financial toxicity included single marital status and not receiving chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy, with odds ratio (95% C.I) of [3.02 (1.07, 8.51), P=.037] and [3.86 (1.3, 11.44), P=.015) respectively. Higher EWB and SWB scores directly correlated with higher FT scores.

Conclusion: Patients undergoing complex gastrointestinal surgery often experience financial toxicity that affects patient reported outcomes. Financial toxicity is associated with identifiable pre-operative factors that can be utilized to screen patients for interventions that may mitigate some of the harmful effects of FT.