The long-term impact of cancer: Evaluating psychological distress in adolescent and young adult cancer survivors in Switzerland

Background: About 3% of new cancer cases affect young adults aged between 15 and 39 years. The young age, the increasing incidence and the relatively good prognosis of this population lead to the growing importance to investigate the psychosocial long-term and late effects. The aims of the AYA-LE long-term effects study are: first, to assess the temporal course and related factors of life satisfaction and psychological distress of adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors; and second, to examine a specific topic in each of the yearly surveys in a more differentiated way.Methods: This study represents a continuation of the longitudinal AYA-LE study. The existing sample of AYA cancer patients (t1: N = 577; t2: N = 514; aged between 18 and 39 years at diagnosis; all major tumor entities) was extended by four further survey points (t3: 2018, t4: 2019, t5: 2020, t6: 2021). In addition, a comparison sample of young adults without cancer was collected. We measured longitudinal data for outcomes such as quality of life, psychological distress, and fatigue with standardized questionnaires. Furthermore, each survey point included a different cross-sectional topic (e.g., health behavior, occupational situation, and compliance).Discussion: The AYA-LE long-term effects study will show the long-term consequences of cancer in young adulthood. We expect at least complete data of 320 participants to be available after the sixth survey, which will be completed in 2021. This will provide a comprehensive and differentiated understanding of the life situation of young adults with cancer in Germany. The findings of our study enable a continuous improvement of the psychosocial care and specific survivorship programs for young cancer patients.

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Long-term Follow-up Care for Childhood, Adolescent, and Young Adult Cancer Survivors

PEDIATRICS ◽

10.1542/peds.2021-053127 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 148 (3) ◽

pp. e2021053127

Author(s):

Melissa M. Hudson ◽

Smita Bhatia ◽

Jacqueline Casillas ◽

Wendy Landier

Keyword(s):

Young Adult ◽

Cancer Survivors ◽

Adolescent And Young Adult ◽

Young Adult Cancer Survivors ◽

Adult Cancer Survivors ◽

Follow Up Care ◽

Long Term Follow Up ◽

Young Adult Cancer

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Psychological distress and associated additional medical expenditures in adolescent and young adult cancer survivors

Cancer ◽

10.1002/cncr.34064 ◽

2022 ◽

Author(s):

Ola A. Abdelhadi ◽

Brad H. Pollock ◽

Jill G. Joseph ◽

Theresa H. M. Keegan

Keyword(s):

Psychological Distress ◽

Young Adult ◽

Cancer Survivors ◽

Medical Expenditures ◽

Adolescent And Young Adult ◽

Young Adult Cancer Survivors ◽

Adult Cancer Survivors ◽

Young Adult Cancer

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Individualized exercise and the health of the AYA cancer survivor population

Proceedings of IMPRS ◽

10.18060/23444 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Adam Corya ◽

Jacob Conroy ◽

Abigail Bolt ◽

Jessica Ricks ◽

Nicholas Kelly ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Oxidative Stress ◽

Young Adult ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Cancer Survivors ◽

Exercise Intervention ◽

Adolescent And Young Adult ◽

Young Adult Cancer Survivors ◽

Adult Cancer Survivors ◽

Young Adult Cancer

Background + Hypothesis Adolescent and young adult cancer survivors (AYACS: ages 15-39) have an 84.5% five-year survival rate.(1) AYACS have a 10 times greater risk to develop cardiac disease compared to healthy peers.(2) This is in part due to their lower physical activity.(3) Structured exercise in adult cancer survivors improves strength, fatigue, VO2, and antioxidant levels and it decreases markers of cellular damage(4, 5). AYACS could benefit similarly, reducing long-term health effects. Although evidence suggests exercise is beneficial in older cancer survivors, this has not been demonstrated in AYACS. We hypothesized that a 12-week one-on-one multi-modal, community-based exercise program would improve AYACS outcomes compared to baseline or inactive AYACS. The current study hopes to demonstrate the feasability of an exercise intervention in a community setting within Indianapolis. Methods Six individuals were included in a feasibility trial for a larger pilot study of 374 participants. On day 1, baseline assessments were performed for experimental outcomes: body composition, strength, flexibility, VO2peak, balance, plasma biomarkers, PA, psychological health, health-related quality of life, and fatigue. Mini reassessments were performed at week 5, measuring strength and VO2peak with an estimated 1-rep maximum and 6-minute Walk Test respectively; in the larger pilot study participants will be reassessed at weeks 12 and 24. Participants train for 60 minutes (20 cardio, 30 weights, 10 stretching) 3 times a week for 12 weeks, one-on-one with a cancer exercise specialist. Results The average change in VO2peak was +25.3% and in strength was +17.5% (no statistical analysis). Adherence was 90.9%. Conclusion + Potential impact This trial suggests the feasibility of a pilot larger study. The greatest limitation was that the population sample was not within the AYACS age range. However, as the goal was to show feasibility rather than to prove efficacy, the sample gave useful information. Sources (1-5) 1. Anderson C, Smitherman AB, Nichols HB. Conditional relative survival among long-term survivors of adolescent and young adult cancers. Cancer. 2018;124(14):3037-43. 2. Armstrong GT, Kawashima T, Leisenring W, Stratton K, Stovall M, Hudson MM, et al. Aging and risk of severe, disabling, life-threatening, and fatal events in the childhood cancer survivor study. J Clin Oncol. 2014;32(12):1218-27. 3. Wu YP, Yi J, McClellan J, Kim J, Tian T, Grahmann B, et al. Barriers and Facilitators of Healthy Diet and Exercise Among Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Survivors: Implications for Behavioral Interventions. J Adolesc Young Adult Oncol. 2015;4(4):184-91. 4. Repka CP, Hayward R. Oxidative Stress and Fitness Changes in Cancer Patients after Exercise Training. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2016;48(4):607-14. 5. Repka CP, Hayward R. Effects of an Exercise Intervention on Cancer-Related Fatigue and Its Relationship to Markers of Oxidative Stress. Integr Cancer Ther. 2018;17(2):503-10.

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Lasting effects of cancer and its treatment on employment and finances in adolescent and young adult cancer survivors

Cancer ◽

10.1002/cncr.31985 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 125 (11) ◽

pp. 1908-1917 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Tyler G. Ketterl ◽

Karen L. Syrjala ◽

Jacqueline Casillas ◽

Linda A. Jacobs ◽

Steven C. Palmer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Young Adult ◽

Cancer Survivors ◽

Adolescent And Young Adult ◽

Young Adult Cancer Survivors ◽

Adult Cancer Survivors ◽

Young Adult Cancer

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Psychosocial, behavioral, and supportive interventions for pediatric, adolescent, and young adult cancer survivors: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Critical Reviews in Oncology/Hematology ◽

10.1016/j.critrevonc.2021.103291 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 160 ◽

pp. 103291

Author(s):

Anao Zhang ◽

Kaipeng Wang ◽

Bradley Zebrack ◽

Chiu Yi Tan ◽

Emily Walling ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Young Adult ◽

Cancer Survivors ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Adolescent And Young Adult ◽

Young Adult Cancer Survivors ◽

Adult Cancer Survivors ◽

Supportive Interventions ◽

Young Adult Cancer

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Self-reported late effects and long-term follow-up care among 1889 long-term Norwegian Childhood, Adolescent, and Young Adult Cancer Survivors (the NOR-CAYACS study)

Supportive Care in Cancer ◽

10.1007/s00520-020-05790-6 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

A. V. Mellblom ◽

C. E. Kiserud ◽

C. S. Rueegg ◽

E. Ruud ◽

J. H. Loge ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Young Adult ◽

Late Effects ◽

Adolescent And Young Adult ◽

Young Adult Cancer Survivors ◽

Adult Cancer Survivors ◽

Follow Up Care ◽

Long Term Follow Up ◽

Young Adult Cancer

Abstract Purpose The majority of childhood, adolescent, and young adult cancer survivors (CAYACS) are at risk of late effects but may not receive long-term follow-up care for these. Here, we investigated (1) self-reported late effects, (2) long-term follow-up care, and (3) factors associated with receiving follow-up care in a population-based sample of Norwegian long-term CAYACS. Methods Survivors were identified by the Cancer Registry of Norway. All > 5-year survivors diagnosed between 1985 and 2009 with childhood cancer (CCS, 0–18 years old, excluding CNS), breast cancer (BC, stages I–III), colorectal cancer (CRC), leukemias (LEUK), non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), or malignant melanoma (MM) at age 19–39 years were mailed a questionnaire (NOR-CAYACS study). Descriptive statistics and logistic regression models were used to analyze occurrence of late effects, long-term follow-up care for these, and associated factors. Results Of 2104 responding survivors, 1889 were eligible for analyses. Of these, 68% were females, with a mean age of 43 years at survey, on average 17 years since diagnosis, and diagnosed with CCS (31%), BC (26%), CRC (8%), NHL (12%), LEUK (7%), and MM (16%). Overall, 61.5% reported the experience of at least one late effect, the most common being concentration/memory problems (28.1%) and fatigue (25.2%). Sixty-nine percent reported not having received long-term follow-up care focusing on late effects. Lower age at survey (p = 0.001), higher education (p = 0.012), and increasing number of late effects (p = < 0.001) were associated with increased likelihood of follow-up care in the multivariate model. Conclusions The majority of survivors reported at least one late effect, but not receiving specific follow-up care for these. This indicates a need for structured models of long-term follow-up to ensure adequate access to care.

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