How Social Toxicity Affects Patient Outcomes in AML

Claire Saxton, MBA, executive vice president of insights and impact at Cancer Support Community, discusses a study on the concept of social toxicity in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Social toxicity refers to the negative social impacts of cancer and is similar to the concept of financial toxicity. In this particular study, data from 109 patients with AML were evaluated to develop a composite measure of social toxicity, considering factors like work disruption, relationship issues, and feelings of isolation.

Findings from the study show the need to address social factors in cancer care to improve patient quality-of-life and outcomes.

Transcription:

0:10 | At Cancer Support Community, we have a whole team of behavioral health and psychosocial researchers who look at the patient experience. One of the things that they pulled out of our cancer experience registry, which is a survey that includes follow-up throughout the cancer journey, was information specifically for AML patients, looking at the idea of social toxicity.

0:49 | We have made some great strides in the oncology landscape talking about financial toxicity as an [adverse] effect of cancer treatment and have looked at how that impacts quality-of-life and outcomes. But what we have not yet done is talk about the social impacts of cancer and the as an [adverse] effect of cancer treatment.

1:17 | One of the things that our research team did is it looked at factors like, has my disease impacted work, school, or home life? Have I been unemployed as a result of my cancer treatment? Has my treatment resulted in problems with my spouse or partner? Is my medication interfering with my daily life? Looking at factors like that, and when we looked at them individually, they were not highly correlated with increases in quality-of-life and better outcomes. But when we looked at those measures pooled together, along with 1 other validated tool called the promise social function tool, they were significantly correlated with increased quality-of-life and good outcomes for patients.

2:24 | One of the things that this research does is to look at patients [with AML] in particular and see, what is the social impact on their lives with this disease? This poster showed yes. This research, this analysis, showed that yes, there is a connection between these social factors and outcomes, and so what that does is give patient advocacy groups like ours, much more of a push to make a difference in those social factors, to help reduce isolation, to help have programs that help people cope with changes in work, and in life, and in relations with their loved ones, because AML and cancer turns your life upside down. Anything that we can do that holistically can help increase quality-of-life and improve outcomes is important for all the patients and their loved ones who are facing this disease.

REFERENCE:

Fortune EE, Rogers KP, Lawrence C, et al. Measuring social toxicity in acute myeloid leukemia. Blood Adv. 2023;142(1):5182. doi:10.1182/blood-2023-177783