Background: Cancer treatment often imposes a substantial financial burden on patients, commonly described as financial toxicity. This financial burden and the complexity of anticancer medications may increase the risk of Drug-Related Problems (DRPs) and negatively affect the patient's Quality of Life (QoL). Improving patient-centered oncology care requires evaluating these factors. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to use standardized assessment tools to evaluate financial toxicity, identify drug-related issues, and investigate how they relate to quality of life among cancer patients. Materials and Methods: Prospective observational research was conducted over six months in the oncology department of a tertiary care teaching hospital. Consecutive sampling was used to recruit 150 adult cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, targeted therapy, or supportive care. Financial toxicity was measured using the Comprehensive Score for Financial Toxicity (COST-FACIT) questionnaire, while health-related quality of life was measured using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G) scale. Drug-related problems were categorized and identified using the Pharmaceutical Care Network Europe (PCNE) categorization version 9.1. The statistical analysis included descriptive statistics, the chi-square test, the independent sample t-test, correlation analysis, and multivariable linear regression. Results: Among the participants, 50.7% experienced moderate financial toxicity and 35.3% reported mild financial toxicity. Most patients (62.7%) had a moderate level of quality of life, whereas 23.3% reported Low QoL. Drug-related problems were identified in 46.6% of patients, with prolonged treatment duration and inadequate outcome monitoring being the most frequent causes. Financial toxicity showed a weak negative correlation with QoL (r = -0.16, p=0.04). Nevertheless, a lower quality of life was not independently predicted by the presence of DRPs. Conclusion: Financial toxicity is a common experience for cancer patients, and it is related to a lower quality of life. Although DRPs were frequently identified, their direct impact on QoL was limited in this study population. Early detection of financial burden and active involvement of clinical pharmacists may help improve treatment outcomes and reduce patient hardship.
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Keywords
Cancer patients
Clinical pharmacy
COST-FACIT
Drug-related problems
Financial toxicity
Oncology
PCNE classification
Pharmaceutical care
Quality of Life
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