Evaluating the Impact of Financial Navigation on Financial Catastrophe and Distress for Cancer Care

Over 100,000 individuals are diagnosed with cancer annually in Nigeria, the highest burden out of all countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Treatment options are limited and often delayed due to lack of insurance coverage and high out-of-pocket costs, which is devastating for Nigeria's 83 million living in poverty (40% of the population). Importantly, it is estimated that 77-94% of cancer patients in SSA face financial catastrophe (FC) where health expenses exceed 25% of household expenditure, 40% of non-subsistence expenditures, or 10% of household income. While Nigeria has recently planned to invest 300 billion USD in the National Cancer Control Plan, a comprehensive initiative to centralize and strengthen multidisciplinary cancer care, high-quality research on innovative methods to eliminate cost barriers and make treatment affordable is needed. In the United States, structured financial navigation programs (FNP) have been successful in helping patients finance their cancer care, and save costs, and have been associated with reduced levels of financial distress. However, there is paucity of data high-quality on the effectiveness of an FNP for cancer care in SSA. The proposed study will investigate the effectiveness of an FNP in reducing financial catastrophe and distress for cancer patients in Nigeria. The FNP will hire financial navigators (FNs) at the cancer centers to educate patients on financial literacy, enroll patients in insurance, and find alternative funding sources, such as charitable solutions. The randomized control trial will enroll 200 newly diagnosed breast, colorectal, or prostate cancer patients at two cancer centers in Lagos, Nigeria, and investigate the impact of the FNP on: 1. The incidence of financial catastrophe 2. Financial distress 3. Budget and financial sustainability analysis of the FNP -- by conducting a cost-effectiveness analysis by comparing the program's cost to the benefits in terms of funding secured and number of participants enrolled in insurance. This study -- the first of its kind in SSA -- will inform the potential for FNPs to reduce the financial burden of cancer treatment in resource-constrained settings. If effective, programs like this would serve as an invaluable resource to increase access to care and in turn improve cancer outcomes in the region. In light of Nigerian government's recently renewed interest in improving access to cancer care, findings from this study will be crucial in health policy reform. Further, this study's findings will inform and influence cancer care in SSA, and will prompt effectiveness in other similar contexts. Finally, if found to be effective, data from this investigation will lay the foundation to support an R01-level study to comprehensively evaluate the implementation and adoption of FNPs in Nigeria and other parts of SSA.