Examination of individual and multiple comorbid conditions and health-related quality of life in older cancer survivors

• Published in: Quality of life research 2021-04, Vol.30 (4), p.1119-1129
• Main Authors: Siembida, Elizabeth J., Smith, Ashley Wilder, Potosky, Arnold L., Graves, Kristi D., Jensen, Roxanne E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Arthritis; Cancer; Cancer Survivors - psychology; CLINICAL AND POLICY APPLICATIONS; Comorbidity; Comorbidity - trends; Female; Generalized linear models; Humans; Lung diseases; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Neoplasms - mortality; Pain; Patient Reported Outcome Measures; Public Health; Quality of life; Quality of Life - psychology; Quality of Life Research; Sociology
• ISSN: 0962-9343; 1573-2649
• DOI: 10.1007/s11136-020-02713-0

Purpose Older cancer survivors (≥ 65 years at diagnosis) are at high-risk for multimorbidity (2 + comorbid conditions). However, few studies have utilized a generalizable sample of older cancer survivors to understand how individual comorbid conditions, as opposed to total comorbidity burden, are associated with health-related quality of life (HRQOL). We examined associations between HRQOL outcomes (pain, fatigue, physical function), individual comorbidities (cardiovascular disease [CVD], lung disease, diabetes, arthritis) and total comorbidity (cancer-only, cancer + 1 condition, cancer + 2 or more conditions). Methods Utilizing a population-based sample of 2019 older cancer survivors, we tested associations between comorbid conditions and the HRQOL outcomes using generalized linear models. HRQOL domains were assessed using Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System ® (PROMIS ® ) measures. Comorbidity was assessed via self-report. Results Cancer survivors with lung disease reported significantly worse physical functioning ( β  = − 4.96, p