Understanding Distress in Posttreatment Adult Leukemia and Lymphoma Survivors: A Lifespan Perspective

Abstract

Using in-depth interviews, this paper explores the nature and sources of cancer-specific distress among 51 posttreatment adult leukemia and lymphoma survivors (LLS), focusing on the role of lifespan stage in shaping reported stressors. LLS (all ages) reported physical aftereffects of cancer treatment, with reported sources of emotional and financial distress varying by lifespan stage. Young adult survivors (18-39) reported a greater number of distress sources. Distress may persist up to 4 years posttreatment, particularly among younger LLS, who appear to be at greater risk of distress in multiple domains.

Financial Assistance for Patients Who Relocate for Specialist Care in Hematology: Practical Findings to Inform Nursing Supportive Care

“…There is now a call in the literature for evidencebased and tailored psychosocial interventions to assist patients deal with the ongoing and longterm impact of cancer diagnosis and treatment (Stanton, 2012). For adult patients with hematological cancers such as leukaemia and lymphoma, the financial burden of diagnosis and treatment is an important factor that requires attention (Jones, Parry, Devine, Main, & Okuyama, 2015). Indeed, research indicates that cancer can create financial worries and difficulties that impact family roles and relationship with consequences that can include house repossession, bankruptcy, loss of independence, and relationship breakdown (Amir, Wilson, Hennings, & Young, 2012).…”

Psychosocial distress in haematological cancer survivors: An integrative review

“…Six of the studies were from the USA (Cella & Tross, ; Jones, Parry, Devine, Main, & Okuyama, ; Jones, Parry, Devine, Main, Okuyama, et al., ; Parry, Morningstar, Kendall, & Coleman, ; Smith, Crespi, Petersen, Zimmerman, & Ganz, , Smith, Zimmerman, Williams, & Zebrack, ), and one was from the UK (Pettengell et al., ). All studies reported data from a sample with a similar mean age (ranging between 50.3 and 62.7), except Cella and Tross () whose participants had a considerably younger mean age of 31.1 years.…”

“…The studies included samples of participants who had been diagnosed with various types of leukaemia and/or lymphoma. Three studies included leukaemia and lymphoma patients (Jones, Parry, Devine, Main, & Okuyama, ; Jones, Parry, Devine, Main, Okuyama, et al., ; Parry et al., ), two Non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), one Hodgkin's disease (HD) and one follicular lymphoma (a type of NHL). All studies were published between 2008 and 2015 except the Cella and Tross () study which is considerably older being published in 1986.…”

Fertility preservation and cancer

“…These include long-term distress, fear, and anxiety; worries about dating, disclosure, and relating to peers; devastation with confirmed infertility and difficulty coping with uncertain reproductive capacity; fears about the safety of pregnancy and passing on a genetic risk for cancer to a future child (42, 49, 66). The extent and nature of fertility concerns may differ between males and females with females tending to be more distressed than males (49, 67, 68).…”