Trends in the Prevalence of Functional Limitations Among US Cancer Survivors, 1999-2018

Abstract

This cross-sectional study examines trends in the prevalence of functional limitation in cancer survivors using data from the National Health Interview Survey.

Targeted Strategies for Degradation of Key Transmembrane Proteins in Cancer

“…Advances in the development of more effective drugs and therapeutic approaches [ 1 , 2 ] and prevention programs to reduce the harmful effects of tobacco on smokers [ 3 ] have determined the success in reducing human cancer mortality over the past decade. Consistent with these data, the count of functional limitations among cancer survivors in the United States from 1999 to 2018 showed that their proportion increased from 57.0% to 70.1%, indicating a clear improvement in the health of cancer patients [ 4 ]. However, traditional cancer therapies have low specificity and cause serious side effects [ 5 , 6 ]; moreover, targeted protein inhibition causes drug resistance [ 7 , 8 ].…”

COVID‐19 destabilized usual patterns of cancer care

“…This is the finding of a secondary analysis of a Children's Oncology Group study (COG-AALL03N1) conducted to examine the link between household poverty and the risk of relapse in children with ALL. 1 Unlike other studies that have shown an association between area-level poverty and worse outcomes in children with cancer, this study is the first to look at the association of individual-level poverty with the risk of ALL relapse in children.…”

“…D ata from the National Cancer Database (NCDB) collected during the first year of the pandemic in 2020 show that the pandemic destabilized usual patterns of cancer care, with 14% fewer new cancer diagnoses reported in 2020 versus 2019 according to a new study published in JAMA Surgery. 1 In actual numbers, this represents more than 200,000 cancer cases not diagnosed or treated at the nearly 1500 Commission on Cancer-accredited programs that use NCDB data for quality assurance purposes.…”

Cancer survivors’ limitations in functional abilities are increasing

“…In actual numbers, this represents 8 million cancer survivors who report difficulty in performing routine physical and social activities such as ambulation, eating, dressing, and personal hygiene.These are among the key findings of a recent study published as a research letter in JAMA Oncology that examined trends in functional limitations among US cancer survivors between 1999 and 2018. 1 The study builds on data from a prior study showing that 70% of cancer survivors in 2018 reported some functional limitation-a rate nearly twice that of the general population. 2 "It is sobering to note that the prevalence of cancer survivors reporting functional limitations is twice that of the general population without cancer," says Qasim Hussaini, MD, a medical oncology fellow at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, and an author of the study.Another key finding of the JAMA Oncology study was a disproportionate rise in functional limitations by demographics (i.e., younger, Black, and Hispanic cancer survivors) and cancer type (i.e., the highest prevalence was found in pancreatic and lung cancer survivors, and the lowest prevalence was found in melanoma, breast cancer, and prostate cancer survivors).…”

“…These are among the key findings of a recent study published as a research letter in JAMA Oncology that examined trends in functional limitations among US cancer survivors between 1999 and 2018. 1 The study builds on data from a prior study showing that 70% of cancer survivors in 2018 reported some functional limitation-a rate nearly twice that of the general population. 2 "It is sobering to note that the prevalence of cancer survivors reporting functional limitations is twice that of the general population without cancer," says Qasim Hussaini, MD, a medical oncology fellow at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, and an author of the study.…”