Abstract 34: Introducing a Novel Financial Navigation Program for Cancer Patients in Nigeria: A Pilot Survey of Stakeholders

Abstract Purpose: A growing body of evidence points to the potential efficacy of financial navigation in mitigating the risk of financial catastrophe in cancer patients. Nigerian cancer patients are particularly susceptible to financial catastrophe when undergoing cancer care. In this project, we assess the feasibility of implementing a financial navigation program at one private and one public cancer center in Southwestern Nigeria. Findings will inform a prospective trial investigating the impact of financial navigation on cancer care in Nigeria. Methods: This cross-sectional study used a fourteen-question survey to assess the perceptions of stakeholders at the Lakeshore Cancer Center (LCC) and Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex (OAUTHC) on the feasibility of implementing a financial navigation program for patients undergoing breast and colon cancer care. Survey questions were generated using the RE-AIM framework (reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance) —a validated implementation-based framework. All staff involved in implementing patient care, including healthcare providers, researchers, and support staff were considered stakeholders and invited to complete the survey. All responses received were included in the survey results. We used descriptive analysis to report the survey findings. Results: Twenty-eight stakeholders (19 from LCC, 9 from OAUTHC) participated in this survey, with most respondents being physicians (60. 7%). The majority (85–89%) of respondents liked the idea and approved the use of financial navigators in breast and colorectal cancer treatment. Over three-quarters of the respondents believed that assigning a financial navigator to these patients was suitable, fitting, and applicable. Almost half (43%) of the respondents did not agree that financial navigators seemed easy to use (36% were neutral and 7% disagreed). Conclusion: Our findings underscore a perception deficit in the ease of use of financial navigators in the care of patients with breast and colorectal cancer at two major cancer care centers in Nigeria. While most providers appreciated the need for FNs, almost half of them did not agree with their ease of use. Further research will focus on identifying the reasons underlying the suboptimal perceptions of the ease of use of financial navigators in Nigeria and designing financial navigation strategies appropriate for the Nigerian context. Citation Format: Frankie I. Uwechue, Emmanuel O. Uduigwome, Norah N. Zaza, Amir H. Sohail, Segun Afolaranmi, Zainab Adegbite, Chinenye Iwuji, Chukwumere Nwogu, Bindiya Sadarangani, Funmilola O. Wuraola, Olusegun I. Alatise, Kristina Diaz, Juliet S. Lumati. Introducing a Novel Financial Navigation Program for Cancer Patients in Nigeria: A Pilot Survey of Stakeholders abstract. In: Proceedings of the 13th Annual Symposium on Global Cancer Research; 2025 Sep 16. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2025;34 (12Suppl): Abstract nr 34.