Financial assistance available for high-cost cancer therapies.

WASHINGTON -- Financial assistance is available to patients struggling with costs of the new--and extremely expensive--targeted therapies for renal cell carcinoma as well as other advanced cancers, Mr. James Goetz said at the annual Community Oncology Conference.

As far as the patient is concerned, the approved agents sunitinib (Sutent), sorafenib (Nexavar), and temsirolimus (Torisel) are all in the same cost ballpark, with each resulting in a bill of about $135,000 for a 6-month regimen at St. Luke's Hospital and Health Network in Bethlehem, Pa., where Mr. Goetz is the network administrator of the Oncology Service Line.

"We're seeing more and more patients on Medicare without secondary insurance, those who are underinsured, and who have no insurance .... The onus of these expensive drugs is on the patient," he said.

But there are places to turn for help, according to Mr. Goetz. First, all the manufacturers offer patient assistance programs, accessible on their Web sites (www.sutent.com, www.nexavar.com, www.torisel.com). Patients fill out a form and submit it to see if they qualify for financial assistance. "Sometimes it's successful, sometimes it isn't," he said.

Nonprofit organizations can help fill in the gaps. A highly recommended resource is the Patient Advocate Foundation (PAF; www.patientadvocate.org or 800-5325274), whose mission is "to safeguard patients through effective mediation assuring access to care, maintenance of employ ment, and preservation of their financial stability relative to their diagnosis of life-threatening or debilitating diseases."

The foundation employs professional case managers and attorneys to assist patients with a wide range of access-to-care issues, including pre-authorization, insurance appeals, and assistance with expedited applications for Social Security disability, Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIPs, and other programs. It also provides assistance with job retention, debt crisis, housing, transportation to medical treatment, and child care. In addition, it offers a "Co-Pay Relief" program for those who are already insured, and an assistance program geared specifically to patients with colorectal cancer. "The PAF is a great resource that we give to many of our patients," Mr. Goetz said.

Other potentially helpful nonprofit patient assistance organizations listed by Mr. Goetz include the following:

* Patient Access Network Foundation (www.patientaccessnetwork.org or 866316-7263) assists with medical expenses including medications, co-payments, insurance, and certain other out-of-pocket health-related expenses.

* Healthwell Foundation (www.healthwellfoundation.org or 800-875-8416) also assists with medical expenses, including medications, co-pays, insurance, and some other out-of-pocket expenses.

* Cancer Care (www.cancercare.org or 800-813-4673) assists with transportation, chemotherapy, pain medications, home care, and some child care issues.

Mr. Goetz declared no financial interest in any of the relevant manufacturers. SKIN ALLERGY NEWS and Community Oncology are both published by Elsevier.

BY MIRIAM E. TUCKER

Senior Writer