The financial burden of cancer care: do patients in the US know what to expect?

Patients in the USA face potentially high financial burdens from the costs of cancer care, distinct from the challenges of societal costs and the economic impact of the disease itself. Survey data suggest that many physicians, let alone many patients, are uninformed about the costs of cancer care. Greater cost transparency and both physician and patient education will be necessary to improve patient understanding of costs and to reduce financial burdens. While many patients wish to discuss costs of care, few report such conversations, and there is no consensus on the optimal setting, timing, content or goals for such discussions. This paper reviews the challenge of appropriately educating patients regarding financial burdens of cancer.