Change in Quality of Life after a Cancer Diagnosis among a Nationally Representative Cohort of Older Adults in the US

Age-related decreases in Quality of Life (QoL) are often compounded by comorbidities, including cancer. This study aimed to examine QoL changes before and after a new cancer diagnosis using data from the National Health and Aging Trend Study (NHATS), linked to Medicare claims (N = 136). There was a significant increase in the relative odds of fair/poor self-reported health and needing help with Activities of Daily Living. There was also a marginal increase in depression, but no change in anxiety or pain scores. Results underscore importance of considering pre-cancer QoL when making treatment decisions for older adult cancer patients.与年龄相关的生活质量（Quality of Life，QoL）下降往往会因包括癌症在内的共病而进一步恶化。本研究借助与美国联邦医疗保险索赔数据相关联的全国健康与老龄化趋势研究（National Health and Aging Trend Study，NHATS）数据集（样本量N=136），旨在探究新发癌症诊断前后的生活质量变化情况。研究结果显示，自我报告健康状况为一般/较差的比值比显著升高，日常生活活动（Activities of Daily Living，ADL）所需的照料需求亦显著增加；抑郁症状出现小幅加重，但焦虑与疼痛评分无明显变化。上述研究结果凸显了在为老年癌症患者制定治疗决策时，考量其癌症确诊前生活质量的重要性。