Long-Term Health Issues of Adolescent and Young Adult Breast Cancer Survivors

The prognosis for adolescent and young adult (AYA) breast cancer patients has increased significantly. Research concerning long-term health problems is especially relevant given the long life expectancy of these young patients. This study aimed to compare the long-term health issues registered by general practitioners (GPs) of AYA breast cancer survivors to age-matched controls.

Data of all female AYAs diagnosed with invasive breast cancer between 1999 and 2020 were obtained from the Netherlands Cancer Registry (NCR) and linked with longitudinal data on health problems recorded by GPs organized in the Nivel Primary Care Database (Nivel-PCD). A female normative sample was obtained from the Nivel Primary Care Database (Nivel-PCD). Cox proportional hazard models were used to compare the hazard of a GP consult for a specific health condition after diagnosis between AYA breast cancer survivors and controls.

A total of 793 AYA breast cancer survivors (mean age 35.3 years, mean follow-up 4.7 years) and 2379 controls were included. AYA breast cancer survivors had significantly increased hazards of consulting the GP for eye (HR = 1.25), musculoskeletal (HR = 1.12), psychological/psychiatric (HR = 1.18), skin (HR = 1.26), and urinary tract conditions (HR = 1.20) and decreased hazards for pregnancy-related conditions (HR = 0.47) and conditions of the female genital system (HR = 0.85) compared to controls.

AYA breast cancer survivors face a higher risk of various long-term health challenges compared to age-matched controls, including physical and psychological conditions. This emphasizes the need for the development of multidisciplinary follow-up programs tailored to the specific and ongoing health needs of this young population.