Teen Cancer Survivors Less Likely to Have a Successful Adult Life: Study

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A recent study found that people who have suffered and survived cancer in their teenage years will struggle through their adult life in different aspects such as higher education and finding jobs.

The US research published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology found that in addition to grappling for normalcy decades later, survivors are likely to develop depression, anxiety and memory issues.

Lead author Pinki Prasad explains that the teenage years are crucial for social and emotional development, and that cancer treatments can get in the way. Adolescent tumors and cancers also require more aggressive treatments than those who get cancer as adults, Prasad added.  

"Cancer treatment at this time interferes with development of relationships, academic achievement, participation in social activities and the development of autonomy from parents," Prasad,  a pediatric cancer specialist at Louisiana State University School Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, told Reuters.

For the study, the researchers looked at more than 2,500 people who had cancer at ages 11 to 21 from 1970 to 1986. The participants are at least 30 years old. Prasad and colleagues interviewed the survivors and their siblings regarding their respective living situation, employment, educational attainment and even emotional states, including cognitive functions such as memory, task efficiency and organizational abilities, according to Medical Daily.

With the siblings as the control group, the researchers found that teen cancer survivors rated low on education level, independent living and employment status, and are less likely to be married. Business Insider added that survivors may also have problems on memory and emotional regulation on top of depression and anxiety issues.

"Cancer diagnosis during adolescence has the potential to disrupt the growth process that is necessary for adulthood; so our team felt it was important to try and characterize what obstacles these survivors are facing," Prasad said via Reuters.

The research was borne out of the desire to find out how cancer treatment affects adolescents parallel to childhood cancer effects, which are more studied, Prasad said. The researchers are aiming to conduct clinical studies on adolescent survivors of cancer, who are considered the "vulnerable population."

According to Heather Conklin via Medical Daily, staff at Tennessee's St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, the study is beneficial for older teen cancer survivors but said it "may be less applicable for those patients receiving modern therapy" since treatments have improved in the recent years. Additionally, she added that formal assessments of emotional states on cancer survivors are more reliable than self-reporting.