US EditionPublished • loading... • Updated
Many Families of Children with Leukemia Face Significant Financial Hardship During Treatment
Nearly 32% of families lose at least 25% of income or face material hardship within two years of pediatric ALL treatment, with risks higher for marginalized groups, study finds.
- On Dec. 11, 2025, HealthDay News reported that nearly a third of families of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia developed material hardship within two years, findings presented at the American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting, Orlando.
- Treatment for pediatric ALL involves multiagent chemotherapy lasting two or more years, with over 200 outpatient visits and families with Medicaid insurance or baseline income below 200% of the federal poverty level facing increased hardship, Zheng said.
- A total of 422 families enrolled, with 19.3% reporting new hardship and 20.3% income loss at six months; among 307 families initially without hardship, 24.3% later developed hardships.
- Researchers are testing interventions including benefits counseling led by Puja Umaretiya, MD and cash transfer trials by Kira Bona, MD, MPH, while Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia added food programs and governments consider expanded leave policies.
- Researchers called for more longitudinal studies and outcome research, noting one-time social work screening is inadequate and families should be reassessed during the two-year treatment period for about 3,000 new ALL cases annually in the United States.
Insights by Ground AI
32 Articles
32 Articles
InsideNoVA.com+24 Reposted by 24 other sources
Financial Toxicity Common Among Families Of Childhood Leukemia Patients
Key Takeaways
Many families of children with leukemia face significant financial hardship during treatment
Nearly a third of families with children receiving chemotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) – the most common pediatric cancer – develop serious financial difficulties during their child's treatment, including losing 25% or more of their household income and struggling to cover the costs of basic living expenses such as housing, food, and utilities.
·United States
Read Full Article
‘Catastrophic’ income loss occurs in nearly a third of families of kids treated for ALL
ORLANDO — During his first year of fellowship, Daniel J. Zheng, MD, MHS, MSHP, sat in clinic waiting for a young child with leukemia scheduled for chemotherapy.As they waited, a nurse navigator messaged Zheng that the patient’s family would not be able to make it.
Coverage Details
Total News Sources32
Leaning Left4Leaning Right3Center6Last UpdatedBias Distribution46% Center
Bias Distribution
- 46% of the sources are Center
46% Center
L 31%
C 46%
R 23%
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
