Preventive skin care among cancer survivors.

Abstract

9103 Background: Research indicates that physicians may neglect preventive care among CS because of continued focus on the primary cancer. The degree to which self-motivation of CS affects their own preventive care is unknown. Using preventive skin care as a proxy for personal willingness to engage in preventive behavior, our aims were to 1) characterize preventive skin care practices in CS and noncancer patients (NCP) and 2) identify clinical factors associated with preventive care. Methods: Using data from the U.S. Health Information National Trends Survey, we compared preventive skin care between CS and NCP. Self-reported use of 1) sunscreens, 2) long sleeved shirts, 3) hats, 4) shades and 5) tanning beds were the primary endpoints. Logistic regression models were developed to evaluate for differences in preventive skin care patterns between CS and NCP. Results: In total, 179 early CS of <5 years, 242 intermediate CS of 5 to 10 years, 412 long-term CS of >10 years and 5,951 NCP were identified: mean ages were 61 / 63 / 69 / 53 years, 47 / 52 / 68 / 60% were female, and 64 / 71 / 73 / 75% were White, respectively. In the entire cohort, the use of sunscreens (60%), long-sleeved shirts (88%), hats (58%), shades (68%) and tanning beds (6%) were suboptimal. When compared to NCP, CS were not any more likely to adhere to preventive skin care (Table). There were no significant differences among early, intermediate and long-term CS. In multivariate analyses, those who were young or female were more likely to use sunscreens while those who were elderly or male tended to use hats and shades for prevention. Conclusions: A prior diagnosis of cancer does not appear to increase self-awareness or personal compliance towards cancer prevention. In addition to physician-directed interventions, targeted strategies that increase patient motivation may be needed to improve preventive practices among CS. Preventive skin care in cancer survivors. Sunscreen P value Long shirts P value Hats P value Shades P value Tanning beds P value NCP 1.00 0.64 1.00 0.70 1.00 0.59 1.00 0.51 1.00 0.50 CS<5y 1.29 1.27 1.27 0.67 0.20 CS5-10y 1.11 0.81 0.81 0.91 0.62 CS>10y 1.18 1.24 1.24 0.79 0.84 Abbreviations: NCP, non-cancer patients; CS<5y, survivors of less than 5 years; CS5-10y, survivors of 5 to 10 years; CS>10y, survivors of more than 10 years.