Background: Lymphoma Coalition (LC) used its 2022 Global Patient Survey (GPS) on Lymphomas and CLL to examine the impact of ageing on the survivorship experiences of patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) who were in remission.
Methods: 1,045 respondents had HL and 447 of them identified as being in remission and were included in this analysis. These patients were grouped into two age groups for analysis, based on their current age at survey time: 18-39yrs (n=248) and 40yrs+ (n=199). Demographics of the two age groups were examined, and descriptive analyses for all questions relating to their survivorship experience were performed in IBM SPSS v27.
Results: Patients were asked which psychosocial issues they had experienced over the last 12 months because of their lymphoma. The older age group (40+) reported the lowest prevalence of every psychosocial issue listed (Table 1). The older age group (40+) also reported the highest prevalence of experiencing no psychosocial issues (‘none’) (19%). Fear of relapse of HL was the most prevalent psychosocial issue in both age groups (18-39- 80% and 40+- 63%) (Table 1).
Patients who reported experiencing symptoms of HL and/or side effects of treatment were asked how these symptoms and/or side effects impacted their life, including everyday activities, employment, social life, and relationships (Table 1). Both age groups differed significantly in how they experienced these impacts with the lowest prevalence for each of these impact categories being observed in the older age group (40+) (Table 1).
When asked about their transition from cancer care into survivorship, patients in both groups had similar experiences in the areas of follow-up visits, knowledge of whom to contact about health issues, and feeling supported, but differed in their knowledge regarding their personal post-treatment care plan (Table 1). About half of patients in both groups felt as supported in their survivorship experience as when they were receiving active care.
Conclusions/Summary: Compared to the older survivors, younger survivors with HL are disproportionately affected by psychosocial issues and are more impacted by the effect of their symptoms and side effects. Addressing the psychosocial and support needs of all HL survivors should be a key part of their care and it is important for health care providers to know that younger patients may require additional attention and support.