This study examined the effect of head and neck cancer (HNC) treatment on household financial vulnerability and potential need for catastrophic income loss protection. HNC carries high morbidity, and treatment can cause serious functional impairment. A cross-sectional simulation used responses from US adults aged 35–64 in the US Federal Reserve 2023 SHED survey. With complete income loss, 16% of simulated patients were insolvent by 3 months, increasing sharply to nearly half by 6 months. Partial income loss substantially reduced insolvency risk, while access to liquid savings further protected households from short-term financial collapse during treatment. Results highlight severe financial vulnerability during HNC care, supporting expanded income protection programs and broader evaluation of cancer-related household hardship.

New in JHEOR: Head and neck cancer treatment causes rapid household insolvency risk, highlighting need for income protection programs, based on simulation using US survey data. jheor.org/article/155597 #HEOR #CancerTreatment #CatastrophicIllness