Understanding Social Toxicity as a New Measure in AML Care

Claire Saxton, MBA, executive vice president of insights and impact at Cancer Support Community, discusses findings from a study of 109 patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) looking at social toxicity.

Key findings from the study showed that social toxicity was significantly correlated with poorer outcomes, including higher levels of anxiety, depression, and financial strain in these patients with AML. The most common social toxicity indicator was changes in work, school, or home life. Further, patients under the age of 65 years and those patients who were currently receiving treatment experienced higher levels of social toxicity.

Here, Saxton explains what a community oncologist should know about these results and what resources are available for their patients.

Transcription:

0:09 | These findings suggest that social toxicity, the negative social impact of cancer, cancer diagnosis or cancer treatment, can be assessed, so we have a tool now for doing that, and this is an effect that we see in a majority of [patients with] cancer. So, because social toxicity was related to other patient-reported outcomes, especially for those younger than 65 and those currently receiving treatments, it is really important for us to investigate it in patients and see how and what we can do to mitigate some of that impact.

1:00 | Organizations like Cancer Support Community and our local cancer support communities are there for patients and as a resource. There are many other patient advocacy groups that are there as a resource, and we strongly encourage you to connect your patients to those resources so that they can build that support community that they need in order to cope with the impact of cancer.

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