73% Of Cancer Patients Prefer In-home Treatment

In recent years, in-home cancer care has gained momentum. New research suggests that 100% of patients are comfortable with in-home cancer treatments, and almost two-thirds prefer it over in-clinic care.

Researchers analyzed patients enrolled in the Mayo Clinic’s Cancer Care Beyond Walls program and found that patients slightly preferred in-home cancer therapy to in-clinic care in a recent analysis. Participants gave home-based cancer care a mean score of 9.36 out of a possible 10 points on the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Cancer Care Survey, compared to 9.54 for in-clinic cancer care. 

“Traditional cancer therapy is primarily delivered in clinical settings, imposing logistical, emotional, and financial burdens, particularly on rural and underserved patients,” the study’s authors wrote. “While international studies have demonstrated the safety of home-based chemotherapy, no randomized U.S. trials have evaluated this approach.”

Researchers, funded by the Mayo Clinic, surveyed 200 adult patients receiving chemotherapy or hormonal therapy for cancer at Mayo Clinic Florida.

Patients were randomly selected to receive either 24 weeks of in-home care or in-clinic care followed by 16 weeks of home-based care. After eight weeks, 26 patients from each group were enrolled in the trial and 36 had started treatment.

Patients scored both in-home and in-clinic cancer care highly, but 73% preferred home-based care, 18% had no preference and 9% preferred in-clinic care.

Industry experts have hypothesized that, with the advancement of hospital-at-home, in-home cancer care could become more popular in 2025. Mayo Clinic is not the only organization delivering care for cancer patients in the home. Synergy HomeCare and Reimagine Care have also begun to offer treatments at patients’ homes. 

In April, Reimagine Care launched an at-home cancer care pilot with MedStar Health.

“There’s this demand for cancer care,” Nardi, CEO of Reimagine Care, previously told Home Health Care News. “On the supply side, we already have a shortage of oncologists and burnout happening, RNs leaving the workforce, so you have this growing divide in supply and demand. We’re able to support patients for the 98% of the cancer journey that happens outside of the clinic, which becomes really beneficial for those oncology clinics like MedStar, so they can really focus on [operating at the top of their] license, and supporting the patients that are with them in the clinic.”

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