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Health-related quality of life in adolescents and young adults with cancer who received radiation therapy: a scoping review

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Abstract

Purpose

Radiation therapy (RT) is a critical component of treatment for adolescents and young adults (AYAs, age 15–39 years old) diagnosed with cancer. Limited prior studies have focused on AYAs receiving RT despite the potentially burdensome effects of RT. We reviewed the literature to assess health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in AYAs with cancer who received RT.

Methods

The MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases were searched in January 2022 to identify studies that analyzed HRQOL measured by patient-reported outcomes in AYAs who received RT. After title (n = 286) and abstract (n = 58) screening and full-text review (n = 19), articles that met eligibility criteria were analyzed.

Results

Six studies were analyzed. Two studies included AYAs actively receiving treatment and all included patients in survivorship; time between diagnosis and HRQOL data collection ranged from 3 to > 20 years. Physical and mental health were commonly assessed (6/6 studies) with social health assessed in three studies. AYA-relevant HRQOL needs were rarely assessed: fertility (1/6 studies), financial hardship (1/6), body image (0/6), spirituality (0/6), and sexual health (0/6). No study compared HRQOL between patients actively receiving RT and those post-treatment. None of the studies collected HRQOL data longitudinally.

Conclusion

HRQOL data in AYAs receiving RT is limited. Future studies examining longitudinal, clinician- vs. patient-reported, and AYA-relevant HRQOL are needed to better understand the unique needs in this population.

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Data sharing

Research data are stored in an institutional repository and will be shared upon request to the corresponding author.

Funding

The work is supported by NIH Cancer Center Support Grant P30 CA016672.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

    Kelsey L. Corrigan, Lauren M. Andring, Ramez Kouzy, Andrew J. Bishop, Grace L. Smith & Jillian R. Gunther

  2. Center for Health Measurement, Department of Population Health Sciences, Department of Pediatrics, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA

    Bryce B. Reeve

  3. Department of Social Sciences and Health Policy, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, USA

    John M. Salsman

  4. Institute of Health System Science, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY, USA

    Elizabeth J. Siembida

  5. Research Medical Library, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

    Yimin Geng

  6. Department of Sarcoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

    J. Andrew Livingston

  7. Department of Behavioral Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

    Susan K. Peterson

  8. Department of Health Services Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

    Grace L. Smith

  9. Department of Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine, ICRHPS, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA

    Susan K. Parsons

  10. Department of Pediatrics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

    Michael Roth

Authors
  1. Kelsey L. Corrigan
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Contributions

Kelsey L. Corrigan: methodology and writing and editing. Bryce B. Reeve: conceptualization and writing and editing. John M. Salsman: conceptualization and writing and editing. Elizabeth J. Siembida: writing and editing. Lauren M. Andring: formal analysis and writing and editing. Yimin Geng: literature search and formal analysis. Ramez Kouzy: writing and editing. J. Andrew Livingston: conceptualization and writing and editing. Susan K. Peterson: writing and editing. Andrew J. Bishop: writing and editing. Grace L. Smith: writing and editing. Jillian R. Gunther: writing and editing. Susan K. Parsons: writing and editing. Michael Roth: conceptualization, methodology, formal analysis, and writing and editing.

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Correspondence to Michael Roth.

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Corrigan, K.L., Reeve, B.B., Salsman, J.M. et al. Health-related quality of life in adolescents and young adults with cancer who received radiation therapy: a scoping review. Support Care Cancer 31, 230 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-023-07682-x

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