Abstract
ObjectiveLittle is known about the trajectory of health and well‐being from before to after a cancer diagnosis. This study aimed to examine changes in health and well‐being across three time points (0–2 years before a cancer diagnosis, 0–2 years post‐diagnosis and 2–4 years post‐diagnosis) in individuals receiving a new cancer diagnosis, and at matched time points in a cancer‐free comparison group.MethodsData were from waves 1–6 of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Repeated‐measures ANOVAs were used to examine differences in self‐rated health, mobility impairments, activities of daily living impairments, quality of life, depressive symptoms and life satisfaction by group and time, and group‐by‐time interactions.ResultsOf the 4565 participants with data from three time points, 444 (9.7%) reported a new cancer diagnosis. Those in the cancer group reported poorer self‐rated health (p < .001), quality of life (p < .001) and life satisfaction (p < .01) than participants in the comparison group, and a higher proportion reported depressive symptoms (p < .001) and impairments in mobility (p < .001) and activities of daily living (p < .001). All markers of health and well‐being worsened significantly over time. The group‐by‐time interaction was significant for self‐rated health (p < .001), with a greater decline in health over time in the cancer group.ConclusionsCancer survivors in this sample had poorer health and well‐being than those with no diagnosis, and self‐rated health deteriorated more rapidly following a cancer diagnosis. Screening for these factors around the time of a cancer diagnosis could allow for interventions to be targeted effectively and improve the health and well‐being of cancer survivors. © 2015 The Authors. Psycho‐Oncology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Highlights
There are an estimated 36.2 million cancer survivors worldwide [1,2]
Another study found that 10 years post-diagnosis, breast cancer survivors experienced poorer physical and social functioning than controls, but that these differences increased in the long term [11], suggesting that health and well-being may be affected for many years after a cancer diagnosis
Data were from waves 1–6 of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), which were collected at two yearly intervals between 2002 and 2012
Summary
Population-based studies have typically found that cancer survivors have poorer quality of life [3,4], more anxiety [5] and depressed mood [4]; have more limitations of activities of daily living (ADL) [6] and report poorer health [6,7] than those without a diagnosis of cancer. Compared with the healthy comparison group, cancer survivors experienced more physical symptoms and these persisted at the 8-year follow-up They had more depressive symptoms at 3 months, differences were no longer significant at 15 months or 8 years post-diagnosis. Another study found that 10 years post-diagnosis, breast cancer survivors experienced poorer physical and social functioning than controls, but that these differences increased in the long term [11], suggesting that health and well-being may be affected for many years after a cancer diagnosis
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