Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 May 1;129(9):1419-1431.
doi: 10.1002/cncr.34689. Epub 2023 Feb 14.

Impaired social functioning in adolescent and young adult sarcoma survivors: Prevalence and risk factors

Cas Drabbe  1   2 , Elena S Coenraadts  1 , Winan J van Houdt  3 , Michiel A J van de Sande  4 , Johannes J Bonenkamp  5 , Jacco J de Haan  6 , Johanna W M Nin  7 , Cornelis Verhoef  8 , Winette T A van der Graaf  1   2 , Olga Husson  1
Affiliations
Free article

Impaired social functioning in adolescent and young adult sarcoma survivors: Prevalence and risk factors

Cas Drabbe et al. Cancer. .
Free article

Abstract

Background: Sarcomas account for almost 11% of all cancers in adolescents and young adults (AYAs; 18-39 years). AYAs are increasingly recognized as a distinct oncological age group with its own psychosocial challenges and biological characteristics. Social functioning has been shown to be one of the most severely affected domains of health-related quality of life in AYA cancer survivors. This study aims to identify AYA sarcoma survivors with impaired social functioning (ISF) and determine clinical and psychosocial factors associated with ISF.

Methods: AYAs from the population-based cross-sectional sarcoma survivorship study (SURVSARC) were included (n = 176). ISF was determined according to the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 social functioning scale, and age- and sex-matched norm data were used as reference.

Results: The median time since diagnosis was 6.2 years (range, 1.8-11.2). More than one-quarter (28%) of AYA sarcoma survivors experienced ISF. Older age, higher tumor stage, comorbidities, lower experienced social support, uncertainty in relationships, feeling less attractive, sexual inactivity, unemployment, and financial difficulties were associated with ISF. In a multivariable analysis, unemployment (OR, 3.719; 95% CI, 1.261-10.967) and having to make lifestyle changes because of financial problems caused by one's physical condition or medical treatment (OR, 3.394; 95% CI, 1.118-10.300) were associated with ISF; better experienced social support was associated with non-ISF (OR, 0.739; 95% CI, 0.570-0.957).

Conclusion: More than one-quarter of AYA sarcoma survivors experience ISF long after diagnosis. These results emphasize the importance of follow-up care that is not only disease-oriented but also focuses on the psychological and social domains.

Plain language summary: Sarcomas account for almost 11% of all cancers in adolescents and young adults (AYAs; 18-39 years). The AYA group is increasingly recognized as a distinct oncological age group with its own psychosocial challenges and biological characteristics. Social functioning has been shown to be severely affected in AYA cancer survivors. A population-based questionnaire study to identify AYA sarcoma survivors with impaired social functioning (ISF) and determine factors associated with ISF was conducted. More than one-quarter of AYA sarcoma survivors experience ISF long after diagnosis. These results emphasize the importance of follow-up care that is not only disease-orientated but also focuses on the psychological and social domains.

Keywords: adolescents and young adults; health-related quality of life; sarcoma; social functioning; survivorship.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. Burningham Z, Hashibe M, Spector L, Schiffman JD. The epidemiology of sarcoma. Clin Sarcoma Res. 2012;2(1):14. doi:10.1186/2045-3329-2-14
    1. Board WCoTE. WHO Classification of Tumors of Soft Tissue and Bone. 5th ed. World Health Organization; 2020.
    1. Gatta G, van der Zwan JM, Casali PG, et al. Rare cancers are not so rare: the rare cancer burden in Europe. Eur J Cancer. 2011;47(17):2493-2511. doi:10.1016/j.ejca.2011.08.008
    1. Trautmann F, Schuler M, Schmitt J. Burden of soft-tissue and bone sarcoma in routine care: estimation of incidence, prevalence and survival for health services research. Cancer Epidemiol. 2015;39(3):440-446. doi:10.1016/j.canep.2015.03.002
    1. Kaatsch P. Epidemiology of childhood cancer. Cancer Treat Rev. 2010;36(4):277-285. doi:10.1016/j.ctrv.2010.02.003

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources