• Kathryn E Weaver, Laura P Forsythe, Bryce B Reeve, Catherine M Alfano, Juan L Rodriguez, Susan A Sabatino, Nikki A Hawkins, and Julia H Rowland.
• Department of Social Sciences & Health Policy, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA. keweaver@wakehealth.edu
• Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev. 2012 Nov 1; 21 (11): 2108-17.

BackgroundDespite extensive data on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among cancer survivors, we do not yet have an estimate of the percentage of survivors with poor mental and physical HRQOL compared with population norms. HRQOL population means for adult-onset cancer survivors of all ages and across the survivorship trajectory also have not been published.MethodsSurvivors (N = 1,822) and adults with no cancer history (N = 24,804) were identified from the 2010 National Health Interview Survey. The PROMIS® Global Health Scale was used to assess HRQOL. Poor HRQOL was defined as 1 SD or more below the PROMIS® population norm.ResultsPoor physical and mental HRQOL were reported by 24.5% and 10.1% of survivors, respectively, compared with 10.2% and 5.9% of adults without cancer (both P < 0.0001). This represents a population of approximately 3.3 million and 1.4 million U.S. survivors with poor physical and mental HRQOL. Adjusted mean mental and physical HRQOL scores were similar for breast, prostate, and melanoma survivors compared with adults without cancer. Survivors of cervical, colorectal, hematologic, short-survival, and other cancers had worse physical HRQOL; cervical and short-survival cancer survivors reported worse mental HRQOL.ConclusionThese data elucidate the burden of cancer diagnosis and treatment among U.S. survivors and can be used to monitor the impact of national efforts to improve survivorship care and outcomes.ImpactWe present novel data on the number of U.S. survivors with poor HRQOL. Interventions for high-risk groups that can be easily implemented are needed to improve survivor health at a population level.©2012 AACR.

19 keywords...

hide…