Background:

The knowledge of the expenses generated by the cancer patient at the Latin American level is scarce, and null in radiotherapy.

Objective:

To demonstrate the relationship between transfer costs and the start of radiotherapy.

Method:

Quantitative, observational, retrospective, cross-sectional and analytical study. From a sample of 126 patients with cancer diagnosis who received radiotherapy in 2021. The sampling was for convenience, collecting data through medical records and expense files. To confirm or rule out the correlation of variables, Spearman’s Rho test was performed.

Results:

There is a positive correlation between transportation costs and the start of radiotherapy; the average weekly expense is 320.26 soles ($84.28); there is a positive correlation between weekly monetary transfer costs and distance of origin; and there is a positive correlation between time to start radiotherapy and remoteness of origin.

Conclusion:

The relationship between transfer cost and the start of radiotherapy is demonstrated; as well as the relationship of the time to start from the indication of irradiation with the distance of origin of the patients.