Chapter 27: Living with and beyond cancer
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Overview
Cancer not only affects patients physically, emotionally, socially and psychologically, but also makes a significant impact on their financial circumstances. When someone is initially diagnosed with cancer, their finances might not be at the forefront of their mind, however 70% of cancer patients suffer loss of income and/or increased expenses as a direct consequence of their cancer diagnosis (Macmillan Cancer Support [154]).
Someone with cancer makes on average 53 trips to the hospital, which alone costs around £325 during their treatment (Macmillan Cancer Support [154]). There is also considerable under‐claiming of financial benefits by people who are eligible for them. People with cancer may experience barriers to obtaining welfare benefits at three levels (Macmillan Cancer Support [154]):
- they may not be aware that they could be entitled
- they may not know how to obtain benefits information and guidance
- they might not understand how to apply.
