Educational attainment among long-term survivors of cancer in childhood and adolescence: a Norwegian population-based cohort study.
OBJECTIVE
The number of young cancer survivors has increased over the past few decades due to improvement in treatment regimens, and understanding of long-term effects among the survivors has become even more important. Educational achievements and choice of educational fields were explored here.


METHODS
Five-year cancer survivors born in Norway during 1965-1985 (diagnosed <19 years) were included in our analysis by linking Norwegian population-based registries. Cox regression was applied to study the educational attainment among survivors of central nervous system (CNS) tumours, those assumed to have received CNS-directed therapy, and other cancer survivors relative to the cancer-free population. Logistic regression was used to compare the choice of educational fields between the cancer survivors at undergraduate and graduate level and the cancer-free population.


RESULTS
Overall, a lower proportion of the cancer survivors completed intermediate (67 vs. 70 %), undergraduate (31 vs. 35 %) and graduate education (7 vs. 9 %) compared with the cancer-free population. Deficits in completion of an educational level were mainly observed among survivors of CNS-tumours and those assumed to have received CNS-directed therapy. Choices of educational fields among cancer survivors were in general similar with the cancer-free population at both undergraduate and graduate levels.


CONCLUSIONS
Survivors of CNS-tumours and those assumed to have received CNS-directed therapy were at increased risk for educational impairments compared with the cancer-free population. Choices of educational fields were in general similar.


CONCLUSIONS
Careful follow-up of the survivors of CNS-tumours and those assumed to have received CNS-directed therapy is important at each level of education.
Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Kalfarveien 31, 5018, Bergen, Norway. Sara.Ghaderi@fhi.no.
Sara
S
Ghaderi
Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Kalfarveien 31, 5018, Bergen, Norway.|Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, 5018, Bergen, Norway.
Anders
A
Engeland
Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, 5018, Bergen, Norway.|Department of Paediatrics, Haukeland University Hospital, 5021, Bergen, Norway.
Maria Winther
MW
Gunnes
Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Kalfarveien 31, 5018, Bergen, Norway.|Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, 5018, Bergen, Norway.|Department of Paediatrics, Haukeland University Hospital, 5021, Bergen, Norway.
Dag
D
Moster
Department of Paediatric Medicine, Women and Children's Unit, Oslo University Hospital, 0316, Oslo, Norway.
Ellen
E
Ruud
Department of Research, Statistics Norway, 0033, Oslo, Norway.
Astri
A
Syse
Department of Paediatric Medicine, Women and Children's Unit, Oslo University Hospital, 0316, Oslo, Norway.|Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, 0316, Oslo, Norway.|Cancer Registry of Norway, 0304, Oslo, Norway.
Finn
F
Wesenberg
Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, 5018, Bergen, Norway.|Cancer Registry of Norway, 0304, Oslo, Norway.
Tone
T
Bjørge
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D016543:Central Nervous System Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D017741:Survivors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult
Adolescents; Childhood cancer; Children; Educational achievements; Five-year cancer survivors; Norway