Baseline financial and credit status of participants enrolled in SWOG S1912CD.

11049 Background: Financial hardship is associated with adverse outcomes in cancer patients. While there is a critical need for interventions to prevent financial hardship, their scale and impact depend on the baseline financial status of patients. CREDIT (SWOG S1912CD) is a national prospective, randomized pragmatic trial evaluating the impact of a financial navigation intervention versus usual care on financial, clinical, and psychosocial outcomes. We report baseline demographic and financial characteristics of trial enrollees, using a combination of self-reported and credit data. Methods: Enrollees were within 6 months of diagnosis of a metastatic/stage IV solid tumor or hematologic malignancy. A total of 329 patients were randomized between July 2021 and December 2024 (165 control, 164 intervention). We assessed baseline income, employment, debt, homeowner status, financial fragility (ability to come up with 2, 000 in 30 days), mean Comprehensive Score for Financial Toxicity (COST), and financial coping strategies (e. g. loans, cost-related nonadherence). We also examined the proportion of patients with adverse credit indicators (bankruptcies, third-party collections, repossessions, tax liens, delinquent mortgage payments) in their baseline credit reports. We compared mean COST score for patients with versus without adverse credit indicators. Results: Most patients (median age 61. 5) were White (78%), 51% had commercial insurance while 33% had Medicare. The most common cancer types were gastrointestinal (23%), lung (12%), and breast (11%). Median household income was 50, 001-75, 000, 70% were homeowners, and 32% reported a change in employment following cancer diagnosis and prior to enrollment. 39% reported financial fragility, 71% reported debt (32% with debt greater than 25K), and 20% reported taking loans from friends or family in the prior 3 months. Mean COST score was 19. 6, with 45% of patients reporting scores ≤ 17. 5, consistent with significant financial toxicity. 18. 5% of patients had utilized ≥ 75% of credit limit on credit cards. The proportion of patients with prior bankruptcy, third-party collection, repossession, or delinquent mortgage payment were 3. 3%, 16%, 2. 7%, and 2. 5% respectively. Mean COST score was significantly lower in patients with an adverse credit indicator compared to those without (21. 4 vs. 13. 0, p<0. 0001) suggesting good correlation between credit data and patient-reported outcome measure. Conclusions: A significant proportion of patients newly diagnosed with cancer reported debt, financial fragility, and significant financial toxicity. A smaller proportion had more severe financial challenges identifiable in their baseline credit reports. There is clearly a need for interventions to address and mitigate financial hardship in this population. Final primary analysis of the impact of CREDIT in this financially challenged population is forthcoming. Clinical trial information: NCT04960787.