Medical Respite to Support Patients Experiencing Homelessness and Cancer Treatment.

INTRODUCTION

People experiencing homelessness (PEH) face significant risks of early cancer-related mortality due to barriers of care for complex treatments. We describe our pilot study for PEH with advanced cancer undergoing treatment at a large safety-net hospital system.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective case series of PEH with advanced cancer undergoing medical respite from 2020 to 2024. Descriptive statistics were used to describe patient characteristics and outcomes.

RESULTS

Nineteen patients participated in medical respite program while undergoing cancer treatment. Patients were referred from hospitals, clinics, and prisons; 74% were men and 67% under age 65. The most common primary cancers involved the lung, colon or rectum, and oropharynx-53% with known metastatic disease. All patients were able to complete cancer-related treatment with 42% achieving treatment response and transitioning to long-term housing.

CONCLUSION

We demonstrated that temporary housing and support facilitated cancer treatment, which is important as states adopt medical respite to address social needs.