Patient Coping Strategies

The BACAS cancer trust provided free treatment to some patients as a form of charitable financial assistance. Delaying or skipping medical appointments was the most health-compromising coping strategy, carrying serious clinical risk because delayed cancer care worsens prognosis. Depleting savings and taking loans left patients with no financial safety net during or after treatment, generating persistent long-term anxiety. Many patients sold personal assets such as jewellery or agricultural land to meet cancer treatment costs.