%0 Journal Article %T The impact of clinically relevant health conditions on psychosocial outcomes in survivors of childhood cancer: results of the DCCSS-LATER study. %A Maas A %A Maurice-Stam H %A Feijen LEAM %A Teepen JC %A van der Aa-van Delden AM %A Streefkerk N %A van Dulmen-den Broeder E %A Tissing WJE %A Loonen JJ %A van der Pal HJH %A de Vries ACH %A van den Heuvel-Eibrink MM %A Ronckers C %A Neggers S %A Bresters D %A Louwerens M %A Versluys BAB %A van der Heiden-van der Loo M %A Kremer LCM %A Grootenhuis M %A %J J Cancer Surviv %V 0 %N 0 %D 2024 Jun 22 %M 38907800 %F 4.062 %R 10.1007/s11764-024-01617-z %X OBJECTIVE: Investigate the association between presence, number and type of clinically relevant health conditions and a range of psychosocial outcomes (emotional, social, cognitive, physical) in survivors of childhood cancer (CCS).
METHODS: CCS from the Dutch Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (DCCSS)-LATER cohort (diagnosed between 1963-2001, attained age ≥ 18, diagnosed < 18, ≥ 5 years since diagnosis) completed a questionnaire on health conditions (2013-2014), and questionnaires on psychosocial outcomes (2017-2020): Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Short form 36, TNO-AZL Questionnaire for Adult Health-Related Quality of Life, and the Self-Rating Scale for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Associations among health conditions and psychosocial outcomes were assessed with regression analysis, adjusting for attained age, sex, and time since diagnosis, and adjusting for multiple testing (p < 0.004).
RESULTS: A total of 1437 CCS, mean age 36.3 years, 51.1% female, ≥ 15 years since diagnosis, completed questionnaires on health and psychosocial outcomes. CCS with a clinically relevant health condition, and those with more conditions had worse emotional, social, and physical outcomes; regression coefficients were small to moderate. CCS with gastro-intestinal conditions, endocrine, nervous systems, eye, or ear conditions, and especially those with secondary malignant neoplasms, reported worse psychosocial functioning; regression coefficients were small/moderate to large.
CONCLUSIONS: Health care professionals should be aware of the increased risk for psychosocial problems among CCS with health conditions, especially for survivors with secondary malignant neoplasms, gastro-intestinal, endocrine, nervous system, eye, and ear conditions. CCS may benefit from psychological interventions to develop coping strategies to manage health conditions and psychosocial consequences of the cancer trajectory.