TY - JOUR ID - 90483 TI - The Direct and Indirect Costs of Cancer among the Lower-Income Group: Estimates from a Pilot and Feasibility Study JO - Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention JA - APJCP LA - en SN - 1513-7368 AU - Aminuddin, Farhana AU - Bahari, Mohd Shahri AU - Zainuddin, Nur Azmiah AU - Mohd Hanafiah, Ainul Nadziha AU - Mohd Hassan, Nor Zam Azihan AD - Centre of Health Economics Research, Institute for Health Systems Research, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia. AD - Centre of Health Policy Research, Institute for Health Systems Research, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia. Y1 - 2023 PY - 2023 VL - 24 IS - 2 SP - 489 EP - 496 KW - cancer KW - direct medical cost KW - direct non-medical cost KW - indirect cost KW - lower-income group DO - 10.31557/APJCP.2023.24.2.489 N2 - Background: Healthcare in Malaysia is largely publicly funded, however, cancer could still result in out-of-pocket (OOP) expenses, which may burden the affected patients. This is especially relevant to those in the lower-income group. This pilot study was conducted to estimate the direct and indirect costs of cancer and evaluate the feasibility of obtaining these costs information from the lower-income cancer patients undergoing treatment. Methods: A cross-sectional study of patients with cancer was conducted in Hospital Kuala Lumpur between September and October 2020. Self-reported data from the patients were collected using face-to-face interviews. Detailed information about cancer-related OOP expenses including direct medical, direct non-medical, and productivity loss in addition to financial coping strategies were collected. Costs data were estimated and reported as average annual total costs per patient. Results: The mean total cost of cancer was estimated at MYR 7955.39 (US$ 1893.46) per patient per year. The direct non-medical cost was the largest contributor to the annual cost, accounting for 46.1% of the total cost. This was followed by indirect costs and direct medical costs at 36.0% and 17.9% of the total annual costs, respectively. Supplemental food and transportation costs were the major contributors to the total non-medical costs. The most frequently used financial coping strategies were savings and financial support received from relatives and friends. Conclusion: This study showed that estimation of the total cost of cancer from the patient’s perspective is feasible. Considering the significant impact of direct non-medical and indirect costs on the total costs, it is vital to conduct further exploration of its cost drivers and variations using a larger sample size.  UR - https://journal.waocp.org/article_90483.html L1 - https://journal.waocp.org/article_90483_736e19fee84ab2f78ab0d8109be0d828.pdf ER -