Effects of the right to be forgotten for childhood or breast cancer survivors: results of a quasi-experimental study in France

Purpose: Cancer survivors have reported difficulties in accessing loan-related insurance, in particular for a home loan. In France, a law called “the Right To Be Forgotten” (RTBF) was adopted in 2017 to counter this “financial toxicity” of cancer. Since then, eight other European countries have adopted or implemented legislation inspired by the French RTBF. Several patients’ organizations in Europe have called for an extension of the RTBF across all European countries. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the RTBF on the reduction of survivors experiencing difficulties in obtaining loan-related insurance after cancer in France. Method: A quasi-experimental study was conducted using different sources of recruitment to enroll breast and childhood cancer survivors (cases) and individuals without a history of cancer (controls). Difficulties in accessing loan-related insurance reported by cancer survivors and controls before and after the adoption of the law (2010–2022) were collected using an online questionnaire and compared between groups. Groups were matched using propensity scores on age, sex, the amount of insured capital, and health-related variables. The effect of the RTBF’s adoption was estimated using a conditional logistic regression. Results: Out of 552 matched respondents (1:3 case–control ratio), difficulties in accessing loan-related insurance were reported by 65% of cases vs. 16% of controls before the RTBF and by 35% of cases vs. 15% of controls after the RTBF (P <.0001). The likelihood of experiencing difficulties in obtaining a loan was significantly decreased (β = − 0.29; OR = 0.74; P = 0.01) after the RTBF. In subgroup analyses, the results remained significant solely for childhood cancer survivors. Conclusions: Despite a significant decrease in the proportion of cancer survivors experiencing difficulties after the adoption of the RTBF, there are possible difficulties in the law’s implementation, dissemination, and usage, in particular for adult cancer survivors. Implications for Cancer Survivors: The RTBF may alleviate cancer survivors’ difficulties in accessing loan-related insurance with a possible impact in decreasing the financial toxicity of cancer, both from a subjective and an objective point of view.