If a Patient Can’t Afford to Fill the Prescription, Is It Really a Treatment Option?

Read the full article on Oncology Data Advisor: In this episode of Oncology Unfiltered, Melissa Cutrona, Co-Founder and General Manager of i3 Health and Oncology Data Advisor, and Matthew Hadfield, DO, Oncology Data Advisor Editor in Chief, explore how financial and geographic toxicities in oncology are, in reality, clinical toxicities. If a patient can’t afford to fill the prescription, is it really a treatment option? They discuss what financial toxicity truly means—far beyond drug prices—covering travel, parking, time off work, and the hidden costs of tests and therapies. Dr. Hadfield shares real-world examples of patients turning down innovative treatments and clinical trials because they can’t afford the logistical burden, and explains how geography and income create a two-tiered system of cancer care. The conversation examines how financial and geographic barriers distort shared decision making, limit participation in clinical trials, and skew our understanding of real-world efficacy. They also highlight the role of institutions, policymakers, and pharma in improving access, and why oncologists must reconsider ordering patterns, testing habits, and how they counsel patients about the full “cost” of care. Thank you for watching Oncology Unfiltered. Check out our playlist and stay tuned for next month’s topic, “Molecular Testing Chaos: Are We Over-Testing, Under-Testing, or Testing the Wrong Things at the Wrong Time?”

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If a Patient Can’t Afford to Fill the Prescription, Is It Really a Treatment Option? is an episode from Oncology Data Advisor by Oncology Data Advisor™.

This episode is 00:25:11 long.

This episode was published on Feb 23, 2026.

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