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Trends and Disparities in Disability among US Adult Cancer Survivors, 2016 to 2024
Junlan Pu1, Hermine Poghosyan1
1Yale University School of Nursing, Orange, Connecticut.
Summary
Disability among cancer survivors is increasing, especially mobility issues. This rise impacts younger adults, males, and certain racial/ethnic groups disproportionately. Targeted interventions are needed.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Public Health
- Rehabilitation Medicine
Background:
- Cancer and its treatments frequently result in physical and functional limitations.
- Cancer survivors face an elevated risk of disability, yet recent trends are not well-understood.
- This study addresses the need to clarify changes in disability prevalence among cancer survivors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To estimate trends in disability prevalence from 2016 to 2024 among cancer survivors in the US.
- To identify specific domains of disability that have increased.
- To examine disparities in disability trends across demographic groups.
Main Methods:
- Utilized nationally representative data from the 2016-2024 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS).
- Included US adults (≥18 years) with a self-reported history of cancer (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer).
- Defined disability based on difficulties in hearing, vision, cognition, mobility, self-care, or independent living; employed multivariable logistic regression for analysis.
Main Results:
- Analysis included 311,143 cancer survivors (representing 124.78 million individuals).
- Adjusted disability prevalence rose by 5.67% (40.12% in 2016 to 45.78% in 2024), with the largest increase (4.04%) between 2020-2021.
- Mobility disability was most prevalent (28.73% in 2024); increases were more pronounced in younger adults (18-34), males, and individuals from other races/ethnicities.
Conclusions:
- Disability prevalence among cancer survivors has steadily increased, with mobility disability showing the most significant rise.
- The disability burden is unequally distributed across age, sex, and racial/ethnic groups.
- Urgent integration of proactive surveillance and targeted rehabilitative interventions into oncology care is recommended to mitigate this growing disability burden.
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