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A new study published by Corinne Leach, MPH, MS, PhD, and colleagues in the Journal of Psychosocial Oncology reported that early in the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, one-third of cancer survivors worried about treatment and cancer care disruptions. Using a mixed-methods approach,...
Research published by Martel et al in JNCCN—Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network examined body mass index (BMI) data for patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer—and found a 5% weight loss in patients over 2 years was associated with worse outcomes. Weight gain over the same...
In a Canadian study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, McCusker et al found that a telephone-supported depression self-care intervention called CanDirect was effective in managing mild-to-moderate depression symptoms in cancer survivors. Study Details The study involved 245 patients who...
Although cancer survivors are living longer, cancer and its treatment can result in long-lasting or late-onset impairments that may affect their ability to work, according to a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine entitled Diagnosing and Treating Adult...
Shoshana Rosenberg, ScD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, weighed in on the implications of these findings. “The study underscores the importance of addressing psychosocial health in survivorship. it targeted a particularly...
A diagnosis of breast cancer and subsequent treatment may increase the risk of depression, especially among younger women with breast cancer. A new study showed that behavioral interventions—specifically mindfulness meditation and survivorship education classes—may reduce depressive symptoms, as...
Breast cancer survivors of child-bearing age appear to have a more difficult time becoming pregnant than the general population, and when they do become pregnant, they have a higher risk of preterm labor and need for cesarean section. Fortunately, most women deliver healthy babies, but they are...
In an analysis from the COVID-19 Impact Survey reported in JCO Oncology Practice, Islam et al found that U.S. adult cancer survivors were more likely to report mental health–related symptoms vs adults without cancer during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Study Details Data for the analysis ...
A recent study has found that more than half (56.4%) of cancer survivors in the United States reported having additional underlying medical conditions associated with severe COVID-19 illness. The report, published by Jiang et al in JNCI: The Journal of the National Cancer Institute, suggested that...
According to the National Cancer Institute, in 2020, 89,500 adolescents and young adults (AYAs) aged 15 to 39 were diagnosed with cancer, and of these, 84.6% are expected to survive their cancer for 5 years after diagnosis. However, the results from a study by De et al published in the Journal of...
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) has announced the publication of new, free informational resources on health and wellness for cancer survivors. These two new NCCN Guidelines for Patients® are focused on healthy living and managing late and long-term side effects, and they include...
In an Italian single-institution study reported in JCO Oncology Practice, Merz et al evaluated the use of electronic medical record–assisted telephone follow-up (E-TFU) of breast cancer survivors to minimize hospital exposure over a 3-month period during the COVID-19 pandemic. The strategy was...
A study published by Hyuna Sung, PhD, and colleagues in JAMA found that adult-onset cancer survivors may have a greater risk of developing and dying from subsequent primary cancers than the general population. Cancers associated with smoking or obesity accounted for a majority of subsequent primary ...
New research showed that behavioral interventions—mindfulness meditation and survivorship education classes—may be effective in reducing depressive symptoms in younger breast cancer survivors. This patient population often experiences the highest levels of depression, stress, and fatigue, which may ...
A large meta-analysis of breast cancer survivors of childbearing age indicated that they are less likely than the general public to become pregnant and may face a higher risk of certain complications, such as preterm labor. However, most survivors who do become pregnant deliver healthy babies and...
Social needs—such as food and economic insecurity, poor housing and neighborhood conditions, and lack of access to transportation—were common in a group of Black cancer survivors in Detroit. These factors were associated with lower health-related quality of life, according to findings published by...
In a Swedish nationwide cohort study reported in JAMA Oncology, Marklund et al found that women who had undergone fertility preservation had a higher live birth rate, were more likely to use assisted reproductive technology, and had better overall survival after breast cancer than women who had not ...
A new study points to a need for oncologists to ask their patients about sexual health after chemotherapy, radiation, and other cancer treatments. In a survey of nearly 400 cancer survivors, 87% said they experienced sexual side effects, but most also said their oncologist had not formally asked...
A new study from the American Cancer Society has found health insurance coverage disruptions in the prior year led to issues with health-care access and affordability for currently insured cancer survivors. The study was published by Zhao et al in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention....
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Ehrhardt et al identified intervals of screening for heart failure that were cost-effective among survivors of childhood cancer, according to heart failure risk defined by International Late Effects of Childhood Cancer Guideline Harmonization ...
Although radiotherapy is integral to the multidisciplinary therapy used in the treatment of common childhood and adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancers, including Hodgkin lymphomas, sarcomas, and breast cancer, the treatment is a strong risk factor for a secondary breast malignancy, especially...
A study by Wilson et al investigating the impact of radiation therapy on adult survivors of pediatric abdominal and pelvic tumors has found that these survivors were significantly more likely to have insulin resistance, high levels of triglycerides, and low levels of high-density lipoproteins...
Findings from a report published by Bass et al in JAMA Oncology show that childhood cancer survivors with severe hearing loss are at a significant increased risk for neurocognitive deficits, independent of what type of therapy they receive. This study is the first to objectively measure hearing and ...
In an analysis from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Dixon et al found that 5-year survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) diagnosed and treated with risk-stratified therapy in the 1990s had reduced morbidity and health-related late ...
In a retrospective cohort study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Matteo Lambertini, MD, PhD, and colleagues found that pregnancy after breast cancer in women harboring deleterious germline BRCA mutations did not appear to be associated with worsened maternal prognosis or fetal...
In a retrospective cohort study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Chao et al found that survivors of adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer were at increased risk of numerous chronic comorbidities vs the general population. Study Details The study involved data from 6,778 ≥ 2-year...
People of any age with serious underlying health conditions are at greater risk for contracting the coronavirus, and cancer survivors are particularly vulnerable to becoming infected with COVID-19, since many cancer therapies can lead to immunosuppression. To reduce exposure to the virus, the...
Eric Zhou, PhD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discusses an existing online program called SHUTi (Sleep Healthy Using the Internet), that he and his team adapted to the needs of adolescent and young adult cancer survivors. After six online cognitive behavior therapy sessions delivered over 8 weeks, the 22 patients in the study reported a significant reduction in insomnia severity, daytime sleepiness, and fatigue as well as an overall improvement in quality of life.
In a study reported in JAMA Oncology, Hayek et al found that exercise intolerance was more common among adult survivors of childhood cancer than among matched controls and that it was associated with a greater likelihood of emotional distress, poorer attainment of social roles, and poorer...
The early initiation—at age 25 to 30—of annual breast cancer screening with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with or without mammography may reduce breast cancer mortality by more than half in survivors of childhood cancer who had been previously exposed to chest radiation, according to a study by...
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, York et al found that perceived lack of insurance coverage for human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, male sex, and decreased parent-survivor communication regarding HPV vaccination were among the factors associated with an increased likelihood...
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Qin et al identified combinations of pathogenic germline mutations in DNA repair genes and cancer treatment exposures that increased risk of subsequent neoplasms in long-term survivors of childhood cancer. Study Details The study involved...
In a Childhood Cancer Survivor Study analysis reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Barlow-Krelina et al found that consistent physical activity vs consistent inactivity was associated with reduced neurocognitive problems and greater improvement in neurocognitive domains during long-term...
Pam Baker DeGuzman, PhD, of the University of Virginia School of Nursing, discusses her study findings on the use of the NCCN Distress Thermometer, which identified and addressed distress in patients treated for head and neck cancer who were then referred to speech pathologists, lymphedema specialists, and social workers (Abstract HSR20-082).
The threat posed by head and neck cancer extends well beyond the physical disease, according to research presented at the 2020 Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancers Symposium.1,2 The pair of studies underscored the high costs of survivorship, including elevated rates of chronic pain, substance...
In an analysis from the French Childhood Cancer Survivors (CCS) Study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Demoor-Goldschmidt et al found that receipt of pituitary irradiation, busulfan, and higher doses of lomustine were risk factors for small adult height in survivors of childhood...
Researchers from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recently reviewed hundreds of epidemiologic studies on the link between physical activity and both cancer risk and cancer mortality. A subsequent analysis of the findings by a panel of experts representing 17 partner organizations,...
An analysis of the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Yan et al found that adherence to Children’s Oncology Group (COG) recommended surveillance for second malignant neoplasms and cardiac dysfunction in high-risk childhood cancer survivors is ...
The first-ever population-based study of cancer prevalence in transgender people was recently published by Boehmer et al in the journal Cancer. The authors of the report estimate that 62,530 of the nearly 17 million cancer survivors in the United States are transgender. Methods The researchers used ...
New research from the American Cancer Society published by Zheng et al in JNCCN–Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network found that younger cancer survivors are more likely to experience significant financial strain for daily living necessities—such as food, housing, and monthly...
The 5-year survival rate for adolescents and young adults with cancer has significantly improved from 1975 to 2005 in the United States overall, but this was not the case for all types of cancer, according to a report published by Anderson et al in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. “We ...
When the landmark report from the Institute of Medicine, From Cancer Patient to Cancer Survivor: Lost in Transition, was published in 2006, there were 10 million cancer survivors in the United States.1 Meant to raise awareness of the medical, functional, and psychosocial consequences of a cancer...
New research suggests that regular exercise may improve the well-being of African American cancer survivors, but most survivors do not meet current recommendations for physical activity. The findings were published by Jennifer Beebe-Dimmer, MPH, PhD, and colleagues in the journal Cancer. Because...
As reported in The Lancet Oncology, Clark et al have developed radiation dosimetric models that can be used to predict the risk of acute ovarian failure in female survivors of childhood cancer. Study Details The cohort study involved 5,886 eligible 5-year survivors in the Childhood Cancer Survivor ...
A retrospective analysis from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study, reported in The Lancet Oncology by Eugene Suh, MD, and colleagues, showed that as with survivors of childhood cancers, survivors of adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancers are at increased risk of earlier mortality and chronic...
A report published by Biller et al in Cancer Prevention Research provides new details about a recently discovered condition in which childhood cancer survivors develop numerous colorectal polyps, despite not having a hereditary susceptibility to the condition. The condition—known as...
A population-based study investigating the risk of inpatient hospitalizations among adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors compared with their siblings and those in the general population found that the AYA survivors had nearly double the risk of being hospitalized than the matched...
The trend toward delayed childbearing has meant that many women who plan to have children may be childless at the time they are diagnosed with cancer. The number of these women is likely to further increase concurrently with the increase in cancer survivors, making “the focus on fertility...
Proton pump inhibitors, which are sometimes recommended to ease stomach problems during cancer treatment, may have an unintended side effect: impairment of breast cancer survivors' memory and concentration. These findings were published by Madison et al in the Journal of Cancer Survivorship....
With the pediatric cancer survival rate exceeding 80%, “we can reasonably suspect that most of these children will survive more than 5 years from their diagnosis and then go on to puberty,” when they may have to deal with the consequences of cancer treatment, according to Rebecca Flyckt, MD,...