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Cancer Control Research

Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): While a large body of data exists regarding the short-term quality of life (QOL) following cancer diagnosis and treatment, little is known about the well-being of long-term survivors of adult cancer who are more than three years post-diagnosis; specifically, it is not known whether the impact on QOL that is experienced shortly after diagnosis and treatment persists throughout the life course. This small grant application addresses this gap in the literature by proposing a QOL assessment of these individuals. The specific aims are to: 1) identify and evaluate the well-being of 400 long-term survivors of adult non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) (aged 25-90+ years) as evidenced through reported QOL with particular emphasis on psychological distress (as defined by posttraumatic stress disorder; PTSD); and 2) examine the risk and protective factors associated with QOL and PTSD in adult survivors, with a focus on those that can be used for easy screening (e.g., having had multiple types of treatment) and are potentially modifiable (e.g., social support). These aims are consistent with the recent "Cancer Survivorship Research and Quality of Life Act of 2002", federal legislation introduced by the Lance Armstrong Foundation and a bipartisan Congressional group to expand research and quality of life programs for cancer survivors. The study consists of a mailed survey to approximately 900 long-term survivors of adult NHL of varying survival times (3 to 15 years since diagnosis). The survey will assess the QOL and needs of this population, and will incorporate the theoretical base underlying PTSD, a recently considered and promising framework to understand long-term survivors. The results of this study will determine if the QOL of long-term survivors of adult cancer is a cause for concern, and whether services might meet the needs of this growing segment of our population. In addition, findings could lead to the development of interventions that test strategies affecting the risk and protective factors associated with QOL.