Cancer survivors skip prescription drugs due to cost: Study

According to research findings published in the journal Cancer, many cancer survivors are requesting lower cost medications or skipping doses altogether due to the high cost of the drugs, as reported in Breitbart.

• The study, which examined data from 2011 to 2014 from the annual National Health Interview Survey, included 8931 cancer survivors and 126 287 participants with no history of cancer.

• Results showed that 31.6 percent of adults recently diagnosed with cancer and 27.9 percent of those diagnosed with the disease in the last two years modified their prescription drug for financial reasons, compared with 21.4 percent of adults without cancer.

• Senior author Ahmedin Jemal pointed out that "non-elderly cancer survivors were more likely to skip medication, delay filling a prescription, ask their doctor for lower-cost medication, and use alternative therapies for financial reasons compared with non-elderly individuals without a cancer history."

• The study found that one-third of non-elderly cancer survivors with high-deductible health insurance plans requested lower-cost medications from their doctors, compared to less than one-fifth of cancer survivors with low-deductible plans.