Skip to main content

Childhood Cancer Survivors Face Socioeconomic Difficulties

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on April 16, 2024.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, April 15, 2024 -- Childhood cancer survivors face socioeconomic difficulties, according to a review published online April 15 in JAMA Pediatrics.

Márk Viktor Hernádfői, M.D., from the Centre for Translational Medicine at Semmelweis University in Budapest, Hungary, and colleagues conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 280 articles, reporting on 389,502 survivors to examine the socioeconomic attainment of childhood cancer survivors compared to their unaffected peers.

The researchers found that childhood cancer survivors were less likely to complete higher levels of education compared with population-based controls (odds ratio, 0.69; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.40 to 1.18), and they had higher odds of health-related unemployment (odds ratio, 2.94; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.90 to 4.57) and lower rates of marriage and parenthood (odds ratios [95 percent confidence intervals], 0.72 [0.63 to 0.84] and 0.60 [0.49 to 0.74], respectively).

"Results of this systematic review and meta-analysis suggest that childhood cancer survivors face significant long-term socioeconomic challenges, particularly in education, employment, and family formation compared with their peers," the authors write. "Establishment of a lifelong follow-up support protocol is crucially needed with a distinctive emphasis on successful social reintegration. To secure the future complete psychosocial well-being and fulfillment for the current generation of patients with childhood cancer, it is paramount to take immediate action."

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted April 2024

Read this next

Researchers Compare Race-Based, Race-Neutral Lung Function Equations

TUESDAY, May 21, 2024 -- The use of race-based and race-neutral equations for lung-function testing generate similarly accurate predictions of respiratory outcomes, but differ in...

Survival Benefit for Cancer Trial Participants Does Not Persist in Adjusted Analyses

TUESDAY, May 21, 2024 -- In studies using designs addressing sources of bias and confounding, there is no evidence of a survival benefit for cancer trial participants, according...

Genital Talc Use Positively Linked to Ovarian Cancer

TUESDAY, May 21, 2024 -- There is a positive association between use of intimate care products, including genital talc, and ovarian cancer, according to a study published online...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.