UICC World Cancer Congress 2006

Background: Long-term cancer survivorship is increasingly common, and it involves meeting challenges and changes to attain a “new normal.” Anecdotal reports and questionnaire scales provide some evidence of significant life changes and challenges, but there are very few systematic attempts to explore what challenges or changes are central to the experience.

Objective: To understand better what kinds of challenges and changes cancer survivors choose to describe in an open-ended way.

Methods: 250 young adult to middle-aged cancer survivors (age = 18-50 (mean= 45.2), 66% women) were assessed within a year or two following completion of primary treatment (mean= 1.6 years). At the end of a questionnaire they were asked to describe specific challenges and changes they felt their lives had taken due to their cancer.

Results: Only 6% reported no significant challenge. Most common challenge was dealing with emotional reactions and acceptance (37%), followed by the treatment itself (21%) and fear of recurrence (17%). A large majority of changes reported were positive: 22% changed life/time perspective, 21% more positive approach to life, and 20% positive personality change. Thirteen percent reported some kind of negative change.

Discussion/Implications: Several years after treatment, cancer survivors can articulate challenges, especially ones dealing with emotional acceptance and continuing fears, and most can point to positive changes in perspectives and approaches to life and relationships. Knowledge of these psychological facets can be used by clinicians to provide psychosocial services to enhance positive changes and to facilitate ways to cope with major challenges.