Improving quality of life for female cancer survivors: importance of pre-treatment oncology consultation

Abstract

ObjectiveTo determine the relationship between addressing more reproductive health issues during pre-treatment oncology consultation and quality of life (QoL) in young female cancer survivors.DesignCross-sectional survey.Materials and MethodsWe contacted 2532 women from the California Cancer Registry (randomly sampled; diagnosed from 1993-2007; ages 18-40 at diagnosis; written/electronic survey (English/Spanish); mailed on rolling basis), with: 1) Leukemia, 2) Lymphoma, 3) Breast cancer, and 4) GI cancers. Surveys were utilized to explore the relationship between 10 core reproductive health issues (side effects on monthly cycles, risk of treatment causing early menopause, side effects on ability to have a baby, and several others) and post-treatment QoL outcomes. Quality of life measures included the Decision Regret Score (DRS), Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), World Health Organization QoL (WHOQoL-BREF), and Reproductive Concerns Scale (RCS). Linear regression was used to assess the relationship between number of core issues discussed and quality of life.ResultsTabled 1QoL if more reproductive issues addressed.ResultP-ValueLower Regret<0.01Higher Satisfaction0.26Higher WHOQoL<0.01Lower Reproductive Concerns<0.01More Satisfaction (Cancer Care/Fertility Care)<0.01 Open table in a new tab ConclusionThis is the first study to quantify psychosocial outcomes for female cancer survivors, based on breadth of discussion of fertility-related issues. These data suggest the more reproductive health issues an oncologist can discuss before cancer treatment, the higher a patient's post-treatment QoL. ObjectiveTo determine the relationship between addressing more reproductive health issues during pre-treatment oncology consultation and quality of life (QoL) in young female cancer survivors. To determine the relationship between addressing more reproductive health issues during pre-treatment oncology consultation and quality of life (QoL) in young female cancer survivors. DesignCross-sectional survey. Cross-sectional survey. Materials and MethodsWe contacted 2532 women from the California Cancer Registry (randomly sampled; diagnosed from 1993-2007; ages 18-40 at diagnosis; written/electronic survey (English/Spanish); mailed on rolling basis), with: 1) Leukemia, 2) Lymphoma, 3) Breast cancer, and 4) GI cancers. Surveys were utilized to explore the relationship between 10 core reproductive health issues (side effects on monthly cycles, risk of treatment causing early menopause, side effects on ability to have a baby, and several others) and post-treatment QoL outcomes. Quality of life measures included the Decision Regret Score (DRS), Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), World Health Organization QoL (WHOQoL-BREF), and Reproductive Concerns Scale (RCS). Linear regression was used to assess the relationship between number of core issues discussed and quality of life. We contacted 2532 women from the California Cancer Registry (randomly sampled; diagnosed from 1993-2007; ages 18-40 at diagnosis; written/electronic survey (English/Spanish); mailed on rolling basis), with: 1) Leukemia, 2) Lymphoma, 3) Breast cancer, and 4) GI cancers. Surveys were utilized to explore the relationship between 10 core reproductive health issues (side effects on monthly cycles, risk of treatment causing early menopause, side effects on ability to have a baby, and several others) and post-treatment QoL outcomes. Quality of life measures included the Decision Regret Score (DRS), Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), World Health Organization QoL (WHOQoL-BREF), and Reproductive Concerns Scale (RCS). Linear regression was used to assess the relationship between number of core issues discussed and quality of life. ResultsTabled 1QoL if more reproductive issues addressed.ResultP-ValueLower Regret<0.01Higher Satisfaction0.26Higher WHOQoL<0.01Lower Reproductive Concerns<0.01More Satisfaction (Cancer Care/Fertility Care)<0.01 Open table in a new tab ConclusionThis is the first study to quantify psychosocial outcomes for female cancer survivors, based on breadth of discussion of fertility-related issues. These data suggest the more reproductive health issues an oncologist can discuss before cancer treatment, the higher a patient's post-treatment QoL. This is the first study to quantify psychosocial outcomes for female cancer survivors, based on breadth of discussion of fertility-related issues. These data suggest the more reproductive health issues an oncologist can discuss before cancer treatment, the higher a patient's post-treatment QoL.