In Regard to Palmer et al

To the Editor: We read with interest the truly commendable survey-based study by Palmer et al (1) examining the financial toxicity of radiation therapy (RT). They found that 22% of surveyed patients experienced financial toxicity after RT, with African-American race, Medicaid insurance, and annual household income <$84,000 among the groups with the greatest financial toxicity rates (1). However, the role of patient race/ethnicity in financial toxicity is unsurprising; both previous work and the current American Society for Radiation Oncology-sponsored journal Advances in Radiation Oncology series "Disparities in Radiation Oncology in North America" have indicated that key aspects of disparities in RT access for vulnerable populations (eg, African-Americans, Native Americans, Hispanic-Americans, North Americans living in Appalachia) are longstanding socioeconomic barriers that disproportionately hinder these underrepresented minorities with cancer, making them less likely than white cancer patients to receive guideline-concordant care (2-6).

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