141st APHA Annual Meeting

In This section

284007
Health-related quality of life in elderly survivors of uncommon cancers

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Erin E. Kent, PhD , Outcomes Research Branch, Applied Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD
Anita Ambs, MPH , Applied Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD
Sandra A. Mitchell, PhD, CRNP , Outcomes Research Branch, Applied Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD
Ashley Wilder Smith, PhD, MPH , Outcomes Research Branch, Applied Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD
Steven B. Clauser, PhD , Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD
Ron D. Hays, PhD , Department of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
BACKGROUND: Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) research among cancer survivors has historically been confined to studies conducted on individuals with breast cancer and, to a lesser extent, individuals with prostate, colorectal, and lung cancer. Much less is known about PROs for individuals diagnosed with less common cancers. We report the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in Medicare beneficiaries with kidney, bladder, pancreas, upper gastrointestinal, oral, uterine, cervical, thyroid cancer, melanoma, chronic leukemia, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

METHODS: Using data linked from the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results United States cancer registry system and the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services Medicare Health Outcomes Survey (MHOS), we report HRQOL physical and mental health component summary scores (PCS and MCS) estimated using the Veterans RAND 12-item survey. Our analytic sample included 9550 individuals 65 and older who were diagnosed with the previously listed cancers, enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans and responded to the MHOS between 1998-2007.

RESULTS: Across all cancer sites, physical summary scores were clinically and statistically significantly lower from population normative values, ranging from 30 (SD =11) for multiple myeloma to 41 for melanoma (SD=12). In contrast, across the disease sites, mean MCS scores were generally preserved, with scores ranging from 47 (SD=12) for pancreatic cancer to 53 (SD=9) for melanoma.

CONCLUSION: Documenting HRQOL levels in elderly cancer survivors is an important first step in identifying sub-populations most likely to benefit from interventions. Ongoing PRO surveillance is necessary to create more comprehensive assessments of elderly patient experiences and suggest more patient-centered interventions.

Learning Areas:
Chronic disease management and prevention
Public health or related nursing
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Compare population-based health-related quality of life mental and physical component scores in elderly survivors of uncommon cancers and elderly individuals without a history of cancer.

Keywords: Cancer, Quality of Life

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Because I am an epidemiologist and researcher who specializes in patient-reported outcomes from survey data. I am also the scientific lead on the data linkage used for these data, the SEER-MHOS data linkage.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.