Tegene Kitaw. Befkad Tilahun, Alemu Zemariam, et al. BMJ Glob Health 2025;10:e017133.
Cancer, a major global health challenge, not only threatens lives but also imposes severe financial burdens, known as ‘financial toxicity’. This strain extends beyond treatment costs to include indirect expenses like lost income and out- of- pocket payments. Despite its urgency, global insights remain fragmented, often limited to specific regions with inconsistent findings. This analysis included 35 observational studies, covering 428 373 patients with cancer. The pooled prevalence of CHE was 56.1%. Key risk factors included large family size, low income, lack of health insurance, longer disease duration, older age and multiple treatments. Higher education levels were associated with reduced CHE risk. Over half of patients with cancer (56.1%) face catastrophic health expenditures, highlighting a severe financial burden. Addressing this issue requires expanding health insurance, providing financial support and ensuring affordable cancer care. Improving education access can also reduce CHE risk among patients with cancer.
24 Mar, 2026