Abstract
PurposeGynaecological cancer patients treated with external radiation therapy to the pelvis may face long-lasting and long-term gastrointestinal syndromes. The aim of this study was to assess the association between such radiation-induced survivorship syndromes and disability pension among gynaecological cancer survivors treated with pelvic radiation therapy.MethodsThis prospective register study included gynaecological cancer survivors (n=247) treated during 1991–2003, alive at the time of the study, and <65 years of age. In 2006, they completed a postal questionnaire measuring patient-reported outcomes. The self-reported data were linked to the national register on disability pensions. Relative risks and risk differences with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of being granted a disability pension were estimated using log-binomial regression.ResultsGynaecological cancer survivors with gastrointestinal syndromes had a higher risk of disability pension than survivors without such syndromes. Survivors with blood discharge syndrome had a 2.0 (95% CI 1.3–3.2) times higher risk of disability pension than survivors without blood discharge syndrome. The relative risk among survivors with urgency syndrome was 1.9 (1.3–2.9) and for leakage syndrome, 2.1 (1.4–3.1). Adjusting for age did not affect our interpretation of the results.ConclusionsGynaecological cancer survivors with a specific radiation-induced survivorship syndrome have a higher risk of disability pension than survivors without that specific syndrome.Implications for Cancer SurvivorsThe findings highlight the need for more awareness and knowledge regarding the potential role of radiation-induced survivorship syndromes for continuing work among gynaecological cancer survivors. Work-life-related parameters should be considered during radiotherapy and rehabilitation after treatment.
Highlights
For a woman diagnosed with gynaecological cancer, a few weeks of cancer treatment may determine how she fares for the rest of her life
The main reason for exclusion was age as only individuals aged 19–64 years are entitled to disability pension [10], and some occupational pensions are automatically paid at 65 years of age [21]
Some clinical and demographic characteristics for survivors are summarized in Table 1; more detailed descriptive statistics are provided in Online Resource 2
Summary
For a woman diagnosed with gynaecological cancer, a few weeks of cancer treatment may determine how she fares for the rest of her life. The treatments may give rise to lifelong, treatment-induced conditions, all adverse in some way [1,2,3,4,5]. Radiation therapy to cure cancer in pelvis affects the. The Swedish disability pension is equivalent to the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) in the USA or to the Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) in the UK. It is granted to individuals with income from work or unemployment benefits, and with failing health resulting in reduced work capacity of at least 25% [10]. A person placed on disability pension may suffer from new health risks.
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