title: Comparison of younger and older breast cancer survivors and age-matched controls on specific and overall quality of life domains.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Younger survivors (YS) of breast cancer often report more survivorship symptoms such as fatigue, depression, sexual difficulty, and cognitive problems than older survivors (OS). This study sought to determine the effect of breast cancer and age at diagnosis on quality of life (QoL) by comparing 3 groups: 1) YS diagnosed at age 45 years or before, 2) OS diagnosed between 55 and 70, and 3) for the YSs, age-matched controls (AC) of women not diagnosed with breast cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using a large Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) database, 505 YS were recruited who were aged 45 years or younger when diagnosed and 622 OS diagnosed at 55 to 70 years of age. YS, OS, and AC were compared on physical, psychological, social, spiritual, and overall QoL variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared to both AC and to OS, YS reported more depressive symptoms (P = .005) and fatigue (P < .001), poorer self-reported attention function (P < .001), and poorer sexual function (P < .001) than either comparison group. However, YS also reported a greater sense of personal growth (P < .001) and perceived less social constraint (P < .001) from their partner than AC.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  YS reported worse functioning than AC relative to depression, fatigue, attention, sexual function, and spirituality. Perhaps even more important, YS fared worse than both AC and OS on body image, anxiety, sleep, marital satisfaction, and fear of recurrence, indicating that YS are at greater risk for long-term QoL problems than survivors diagnosed at a later age.
authors.affiliation: IU Simon Cancer Center, Indiana University, Indianapolis, Indiana.
authors.forename: Victoria L
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Champion
authors.forename: Lynne I
authors.initials: LI
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.forename: Patrick O
authors.initials: PO
authors.lastname: Monahan
authors.forename: Joanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Daggy
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cohee
authors.forename: Kim W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Ziner
authors.forename: Joan E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Haase
authors.forename: Kathy D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Kamnesh
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pradhan
authors.forename: Frederick W
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Unverzagt
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cella
authors.forename: Bilal
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ansari
authors.forename: George W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Sledge
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: breast cancer; comparison of older survivors; comparison of younger; quality of life; young survivors