Protective skin care behaviors in cancer survivors

Research suggests that physicians neglect preventive care for cancer survivors. A survivor's self-motivation with respect to preventive care is unknown. Using protective skin care as a proxy, our aims were to characterize preventive care in cancer survivors and to identify factors associated with appropriate prevention.

Using data from the 2009 U.S. Health Information National Trends Survey, we compared preventive skin care patterns in cancer survivors and non-cancer patients. Primary endpoints were the use of sunscreens, long-sleeved shirts, hats, and shade.

We identified 179 early cancer survivors (<5 years), 242 intermediate cancer survivors (5-10 years), 412 long-term cancer survivors (>10 years), and 5951 non-cancer patients. The use of sunscreens (60%), long-sleeved shirts (88%), hats (58%), and shade (68%) was suboptimal. Overall, cancer survivors were not more likely to adhere to preventive care (p = 0.89). A composite score showed a significant difference between the cancer survivor groups (p < 0.01) whereby intermediate survivors reported the best preventive practices.

A prior diagnosis of cancer does not appear to increase personal compliance with cancer prevention. Reasons for this poor engagement are not clear. Targeted strategies to increase self-motivation might improve preventive practices in cancer survivors.