Financial Distress of Cancer Patients and the Families: Analysis of Individual Consultations Data through Text Mining

Abstract

This study aimed to clarify financial issues of cancer patients and their families through consultation records. At four sites, 125 reports of individual consultations with regard to employment and finances through financial planner and certified social insurance labor consultant were analyzed using text mining. The mean age of participants was 54.0 ± 10.1 years, and 70 were female (56.0%). The most frequent five words and their co-occurring words were as follows: “month” (104 times; co-occurring words: “leave of absence” and “year”), “injury and sickness allowance” (93 times; co-occurring words: “receive” and “leave of absence”), “current” (72 times; co-occurring words: “receive” and “income”), “work” (68 times; co-occurring words: “contents” and “continue”), and “treatment” (62 times; co-occurring words: “living” and “income”). Our result indicated that participants felt anxious about finances and impact on their life associated with cancer treatment. In addition, cancer patients and their families received advice about timing, ways, and choice of return to work, resigning, and continuing to work, and use of public system including injury and sickness allowance that people can use during their leave of absence from consultants.