Health profiles in 5836 long‐term cancer survivors

Increasingly, prolonged survival follows the diagnosis of cancer. Cancer therapies result in complex and lasting health effects that create unique health‐care needs for the survivors but are poorly understood (especially in survivors of adult cancers). Cancer survivors were asked to respond to a mailed health survey and provide medical and social information pertaining to their cancer experience. Information about demographics and perceived disease‐related medical problems was analyzed. We analyzed the response of 5,836 survivors of adult cancers. Two‐thirds of the responses came from women, and the response rate was 51% in both sexes. The mean interval since cancer diagnosis was 18.0 ± 8.5 years. Younger survivors and men were more likely to report that cancer had affected their health. The health effect most commonly reported by survivors was arthritis/osteoporosis (26% of respondents). Survivors of Hodgkin's disease prominently reported thyroid and lung problems (33.8% of responders with the diagnosis). Prior diagnosis of lymphoma was associated with frequent mention of memory loss (14.7%). The passage of time decreased some perceived effects (memory loss) but increased others (arthritis/osteoporosis, cataracts). Compared with the general population, the incidence of several age‐ and gender‐adjusted health conditions in cancer survivors is different. This group of cancer survivors reported generally good health but outlined multiple lasting medical problems. The health survey described represents 1 approach to the development of comprehensive information about the health needs of cancer survivors. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.