Overview
The purpose of this research is to see how personal financial burden (financial toxicity) related to cancer affects the overall health and quality of life by evaluating the impact of systematic financial navigation in addition to standard financial distress interventions during cancer treatment.
Description
Financial navigation (FN) has been increasingly recognized as an important interventional tool with the potential to significantly mitigate the onset, severity, and duration of financial toxicity (FT). There have been several recent pilot studies in this area demonstrating the feasibility and effectiveness of this approach. With the suddenness of onset and high healthcare utilization of an acute leukemia diagnosis, financial navigation early in the disease course may represent an opportunity to reduce the financial distress burden of this disease and improve outcomes.
The investigators have chosen to conduct this as a randomized, controlled trial (RCT) evaluating the effect of financial navigation (FN) on the patient reported objective measurement of financial toxicity (FT) using the COmprehensive Score for Financial Toxicity (COST) measure. This 12-question measure has become the standard for financial toxicity (FT) quantification in the research setting and will allow for direct comparison between the two groups.
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria:
- Ability to understand and willingness to sign an IRB-approved informed consent.
- Age 18-64 years at the time of consent
- Initial diagnosis of Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) per investigator Note: Date of initial diagnosis is the date of the bone marrow biopsy
- Planned intensive induction chemotherapy Note: It is acceptable if chemotherapy has been initiated at the time of enrollment as long as it is within 4 weeks of diagnosis
- Ability to read and understand the English and/or Spanish language(s)
- As determined by the enrolling investigator, ability of the participant to understand and comply with study procedures for the entire length of the study.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Diagnosis of Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia
- Unwilling to receive induction chemotherapy for AML
- Previous treatment for hematologic malignancy
- Prior allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant