Health-related quality of life of long-term childhood cancer survivors: a population-based study from the Childhood Cancer Registry of Piedmont, Italy.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the Health Related Quality of Life (HRQL) in a population-based cohort of long-term survivors of childhood cancer in Piedmont, northwestern Italy.


METHODS
During 2003, a 15-item Health Utilities Index questionnaire was mailed to 1005 5-year survivors, identified from the population-based Childhood Cancer Registry of Piedmont, to derive scores for overall HRQL and for eight single attributes of health. Score differences were estimated as adjusted prevalence odds ratios.


RESULTS
A large majority of long-term survivors had moderately high scores for overall HRQL and for each of the single attributes. Males reported better overall HRQL and less morbidity with respect to dexterity, emotion and pain than females. Survivors diagnosed when they were 10-14 years of age had better overall HRQL and less morbidity with respect to emotion, cognition and pain than younger persons. Long-term survivors of central nervous system (CNS) tumours, retinoblastoma and bone tumours had greater impairment of overall HRQL, vision, ambulation, dexterity, cognition and pain than survivors of other forms of cancer.


CONCLUSIONS
Many survivors of childhood cancer in Piedmont had fairly good overall HRQL. Greater probability of impaired HRQL was seen for females, survivors of CNS tumours, retinoblastoma and bone tumours, and persons diagnosed before 10 years of age.
Alessi
Daniela
D
Childhood Cancer Registry of Piedmont, Cancer Epidemiology Unit, CeRMS and CPO-Piemonte, University of Turin, Italy.
Dama
Elisa
E
Barr
Ronald
R
Mosso
Maria Luisa
ML
Maule
Milena
M
Magnani
Corrado
C
Pastore
Guido
G
Merletti
Franco
F
D000293:Adolescent; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D009069:Movement Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010146:Pain / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D015995:Prevalence; D011788:Quality of Life; D012042:Registries; D017741:Survivors; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology