Speaker
Description
Background:The prospective association between physical activity (PA) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in long-term cancer survivors (LTCS, ≥ 5 years post-diagnosis) is understudied, particularly across different cancer diagnoses. We assessed these associations among long-term survivors of breast, prostate and colorectal cancer within a large prospective cohort in Germany.
Methods: A total of 6,057 LTCS from six German cancer registries were included between 2009 and 2011; 2,704 of them completed the follow-up assessment between 2018 and 2019. PA was assessed using self-reported weekly time spent on moderate- to vigorous PA and was categorized as fully adherent (≥150 min/week), partially adherent (75-149 min/week) and non-adherent (<75 min/week) according to the World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research recommendations. HRQoL was assessed using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30. Generalized linear models were conducted to examine associations between PA and HRQoL outcomes overall and by cancer type.
Results: In total, 42.8% survivors were fully adherent to PA guidelines and 48.5% were non-adherent. Non-adherence at baseline was associated with poorer HRQoL across all functioning and higher symptom burdens in the follow-up. Compared to fully adherent survivors, non-adherent survivors reported lower global health status/QoL (β: -4.79, 95% CI: -6.45, -3.13) and physical functioning (β: -5.44, 95% CI: -6.97, -3.91), as well as higher fatigue and pain scores, after full adjustment. Associations persisted in breast and prostate cancer survivors and in males with colorectal cancer, but not in females.
Conclusions: Non-adherence to PA recommendations was associated with poorer HRQoL among LTCS. The magnitude of associations differed by cancer types and sex, highlighting the need for tailored survivorship care and the importance of PA promotion in long-term survivorship.
Keywords
Physical activity; Health-related quality of life, Long-term cancer survivor, Prospective cohort study
| Abstract submitters declaration | yes |
|---|---|
| Conflict of Interest & Ethical Approval | yes |
