Older Female Cancer Survivors Have More Health
Issues Than Cancer Free Contemporaries
As cancer survivors live longer, questions arise
about what kind of care long-term survivors require
Feb. 3, 2010 - Older married women who survived
cancer had more health problems than married women without cancer in a
study of women - 245 in each group. The lead researcher of the study
from Case Western Reserve University's Mandel School of Applied Social
Sciences is calling for more research with older cancer survivors.
Two reports in radiology journal: Epigenetics may
determine risk of low-dose radiation... and explain mechanisms of aging,
human development, and the origins of cancer, heart disease, mental
illness, etc.
"There is a pressing need to study older cancer
survivors," said Aloen Townsend, the lead researcher and associate
professor of social work.
"It is critical to disentangle the experiences that
are unique to older cancer survivors from experiences that are common to
aging individuals."
Health care for cancer survivors is a growing
concern, according to the researchers.
The article, "Health and Well-Being in Older
Married Female Cancer Survivors," was published as part of a special
supplement of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society,
along with other articles that resulted from a conference at CWRU on
geriatric oncology.
Beginning with the first wave of the Health and
Retirement Study (1992), survey answers from married women who had
malignant tumors (excluding skin) were compared with information
provided by a sample of married women with no cancers.
The women in both groups were matched for age (51
to 61), ethnicity, and race. They had 12 years of education, came from
homes with annual incomes of around $47,000 and had been married between
27-29 years, on average. Nearly half of all women in the study had
others, in addition to their husbands, living in their homes.
On average, the cancer group had been diagnosed
about 10 years earlier. Most had breast or gynecological cancers.
Overall the cancer survivors had more health
problems than for the women without cancer. The survivors also reported
higher levels of fatigue, physical limitations, more doctor visits and
more days in bed for health reasons than the other group. Before
controlling for other variables, they also reported more symptoms of
depression.
In both groups, significant predictors for
depression were fatigue, pain and a lower education level.
After adjusting for health problems, fatigue and
pain, both groups of women had similar depression levels, leading the
researchers to note that higher depression levels found in cancer
survivors in some prior studies may be due to the worse health, pain,
and fatigue experienced by survivors.
CWRU contributors to the article were: Karen J.
Ishler, Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences; Karen F. Bowman,
Department of Sociology; Julia Hannum Rose, School of Medicine; Nicole
Juszczak Peak, Department of Psychology.
The study received support from the National
Institute on Aging, the National Cancer Institute, the Aging and Cancer
Research Program at the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Mandel
School of Applied Social Sciences.
Case Western Reserve University is reportedly among
the nation's leading research institutions. Founded in 1826 and shaped
by the unique merger of the Case Institute of Technology and Western
Reserve University, Case Western Reserve is distinguished by its
strengths in education, research, service, and experiential learning.
Located in Cleveland, Case Western Reserve offers nationally recognized
programs in the Arts and Sciences, Dental Medicine, Engineering, Law,
Management, Medicine, Nursing, and Social Work.
http://www.case.edu.
Keep up with the latest news for senior citizens, baby
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Feb. 3, 2010 - Older married women who survived
cancer had more health problems than married women without cancer in a
study of women - 245 in each group. The lead researcher of the study
from Case Western Reserve University's Mandel School of Applied Social
Sciences is calling for more research with older cancer survivors.
