Photo by Rhoda Baer
Doctor consults with cancer patient and her father
New research suggests young cancer survivors struggle to get their social lives “back to normal” within the first 2 years of their diagnosis.
The study showed that adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer had significantly worse social functioning than the general population around the time of cancer diagnosis as well as 1 year and 2 years later.
These findings were published in Cancer.
“The research is important to help these young survivors better reintegrate into society,” said study author Brad Zebrack, PhD, of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
He and his colleagues collected data from 141 AYA cancer patients (ages 14 to 39) who visited 1 of 5 US medical facilities between March 2008 and April 2010.
The patients completed a self-report measure of social functioning within the first 4 months of diagnosis, then again at 12 months and 24 months.
Compared to the general population, the AYA cancer patients had significantly worse social functioning scores at all time points:
- Around the time of diagnosis—52.0 vs 85.1 (P<0.001)
- At 12 months—73.1 vs 85.1 (P<0.001)
- At 24 months—69.2 vs 85.1 (P<0.001).
Overall, the patients did experience improvements in social functioning from baseline to the 12-month time point, but their scores remained stable after that.
The researchers noted that 9% of patients had consistently high/normal social functioning, 47% had improvements in social functioning over time, 13% had worsening social functioning over time, and 32% had consistently low social functioning.
“This finding highlights the need to screen, identify, and respond to the needs of high-risk young adult-adolescent patients at the time of diagnosis and then monitor them over time,” Dr Zebrack said.
“They are likely the ones most in need of help in managing work, school, and potentially problematic relationships with family members and friends.”
