Cancer survivors have increased functional limitations, study finds

In a study of 51,258 survivors weighted to be representative of a larger population of approximately 178.8 million, 3.6 million survivors reported functional limitations in 1999. That number increased to 8.2 million in 2018, a 2.25-fold increase. Adjusted prevalence of functional limitation was highest among survivors of pancreatic cancer (80.3%) and lung cancer (76.5%), melanoma (62.2%), breast cancer (61.8%) and prostate cancer (59.5%) of cancer survivors.

“The fact that we are saving more lives from cancer is worth celebrating, but it also justifies a shift toward understanding and improving the quality of life for those who survive,” said study co-author SM. Dr. Qasim Hussaini, Chief Medical Director says: Oncology Research Fellow and Health Systems Researcher at Kimmel Cancer Center. “Overall, our research calls for urgent action to address the burden of cancer and its treatment on physical, psychosocial, and cognitive functioning.”

Although cancer survival rates and the total number of survivors have increased steadily since the early 2000s, little information is available about the quality of life of these patients. The researchers conducted this study to understand whether improved survival is associated with functional capacity, one of the key determinants of quality of life. The study was led by Vishal Patel, a medical student at Dell College of Medicine. Arjun Gupta, M.D., a medical oncologist and supportive care specialist at the University of Minnesota, participated in conducting the study. Patel will move to Johns Hopkins University in July.

Researchers reviewed 20 years of records from the National Health Interview Survey, an annual survey of patients across the United States by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about their health conditions. Researchers looked at responses from 1999 to 2018 to identify people who survived a cancer diagnosis and found they were unable to stand for more than an hour, had difficulty sitting for more than two hours, and had difficulty participating in social activities. It was determined whether there is any of the 12 functional restrictions, such as. activities without assistance. Most of the survivors were female (60.2%) and most were over 65 years of age (55.4%).

About 70% of cancer survivors report at least one type of functional limitation, the researchers say, twice as many as the general population. The study also found that Hispanic and black survivors had a disproportionate increase in functional limitations during the study period, which was associated with improved access to cancer treatment but a lack of survivor care. It may indicate that quality is declining.

“The number of cancer survivors who report some limitation in their daily functioning has more than doubled in the last 20 years, reaching 8 million,” Patel said.

Overall, the research calls for urgent action to address cancer and the burden of its treatment, Husaini said.

The proportion of cancer survivors reporting functional limitations in the United States has more than doubled in the past 20 years, according to new study published in the journal JAMA Oncology. The study, published May 11, Johns Hopkins University Kimmel Cancer CenterDell College of Medicine, Austin, TX, and Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.

In a study of 51,258 survivors weighted to be representative of a larger population of approximately 178.8 million, 3.6 million survivors reported functional limitations in 1999. That number increased to 8.2 million in 2018, a 2.25-fold increase. Adjusted prevalence of functional limitation was highest among survivors of pancreatic cancer (80.3%) and lung cancer (76.5%), melanoma (62.2%), breast cancer (61.8%) and prostate cancer (59.5%) of cancer survivors.

“The fact that we are saving more lives from cancer is worth celebrating, but it also justifies a shift toward understanding and improving the quality of life for those who survive,” said study co-authors. Dr. SM Qasim Husaini, chief medical director, said: Oncology Research Fellow and Health Systems Researcher at Kimmel Cancer Center. “Overall, our research calls for urgent action to address the burden of cancer and its treatment on physical, psychosocial, and cognitive functioning.”

Although cancer survival rates and the total number of survivors have increased steadily since the early 2000s, little information is available about the quality of life of these patients. The researchers conducted this study to understand whether improved survival is associated with functional capacity, one of the key determinants of quality of life. The study was led by Vishal Patel, a medical student at Dell College of Medicine. Arjun Gupta, M.D., a medical oncologist and supportive care specialist at the University of Minnesota, participated in conducting the study. Patel will move to Johns Hopkins University in July.

Researchers reviewed 20 years of records from the National Health Interview Survey, an annual survey of patients across the United States by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about their health conditions. Researchers looked at responses from 1999 to 2018 to identify people who survived a cancer diagnosis and found they were unable to stand for more than an hour, had difficulty sitting for more than two hours, and had difficulty participating in social activities. It was determined whether there is any of the 12 functional restrictions, such as. activities without assistance. Most of the survivors were female (60.2%) and most were over 65 years of age (55.4%).

About 70% of cancer survivors report at least one type of functional limitation, the researchers say, twice as many as the general population. The study also found that Hispanic and black survivors had a disproportionate increase in functional limitations during the study period, which was associated with improved access to cancer treatment but a lack of survivor care. It may indicate that quality is declining.

“The number of cancer survivors who report some limitation in their daily functioning has more than doubled in the last 20 years, reaching 8 million,” Patel said.

Overall, the research calls for urgent action to address cancer and the burden of its treatment, Husaini said.

“This finding is both socially and clinically alarming,” he says. “Additional efforts are needed to ensure that cancer survivors receive high-quality survivor care and to help clinicians more easily identify and address the burden of cancer.” At the level, our study should facilitate future efforts to investigate the causes of increased functional limitation, while at the institutional level, outcomes such as functional status should be used as primary endpoints in clinical trials of new therapies. Further efforts at the health system level may consider how survivor care can be redesigned by improving provider training and reimbursement structures. There is.”

reference: Patel VR, Hussaini SMQ, Blaes AH, et al. Trends in prevalence of functional limitation among US cancer survivors (1999-2018). JAMA Oncology. 2023. Doi: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2023.1180

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