[Course of psychosocial distress and health-related quality of life in patients at different age groups during cancer rehabilitation].
OBJECTIVE
This study investigates psychosocial distress and health-related quality of life in younger (up to 40 years), middle-aged (up to 50 years), and elderly cancer patients (up to 60 years).


METHODS
637 patients (94%women, 75% breast-cancer patients) completed validated questionnaires measuring distress, anxiety, depression, fear of progression, and quality of life at the beginning (T0) and the end (T1) of a cancer rehabilitation program (T0/T1 response rate: 72 %) as well as at 1-year follow-up (T2) (n = 485, T2 response rate: 76 %).


RESULTS
Patients in the different age groups did not differ significantly in psychosocial distress at T0 except for fear of progression, which is lower among the younger age group. Elderly patients have a significantly lower physical quality of life. At the beginning of the rehabilitation program, patients in all age groups were significantly more anxious compared to population-based normative values, whereas higher depression was found only in younger and middle-aged patients. Patients in all age groups have a significantly lower quality of life compared to population-based normative values. In particular, large effect sizes were found for physical functioning domains. Patients in all age groups improve significantly in psychosocial distress and quality of life over time; however, significant interaction effects between age group and time were not observed in psychosocial distress and quality of life.


CONCLUSIONS
Age differences are predominantly observed in physical quality-of-life dimensions rather than in psychosocial distress. This finding should be considered for the development of rehabilitation services.
Krüger
Alexander
A
Paracelsus-Kliniken Deutschland GmbH.
Leibbrand
Birgit
B
Barth
Jürgen
J
Berger
Dieter
D
Lehmann
Claudia
C
Koch
Uwe
U
Mehnert
Anja
A
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D018450:Disease Progression; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D010348:Patient Care Team; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012803:Sick Role; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult