Prevalence of Chronic Conditions Increased Among Cancer Survivors

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 2, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- From 2002 to 2018, there was an increase in the prevalence of comorbid chronic conditions among cancer survivors, according to a study published in the Feb. 15 issue of Cancer.

Changchuan Jiang, M.D., M.P.H., from the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, New York, and colleagues calculated the age-sex-race/ethnicity-adjusted prevalences and estimated the population sizes for hypertension, diabetes, stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)/asthma, hepatitis, arthritis, liver disease, kidney disease, and morbid obesity among cancer survivors using 2002 to 2018 National Health Interview Survey data.

The researchers observed increasing trends in the prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, kidney disease, liver disease, and morbid obesity among the 30,728 cancer survivors, while decreased trends in prevalence were seen for ischemic heart disease, COPD, and hepatitis. From 2002 to 2018, there was an increase in the number of cancer survivors with multiple chronic conditions (MCC: three or more health conditions) from 4.7 to 8.1 million (prevalence increased from 43.7 to 46.6 percent); the increase was more pronounced among cancer survivors aged 18 to 44 years. The prevalence of MCC also increased among adults without a cancer history, although more slowly than among cancer survivors.

"Our study emphasizes the importance of collaboration between oncologists and primary care providers and the significant need for effective risk factor interventions in the rapidly growing adult cancer survivor population in the United States," the authors write.

One author disclosed financial ties to UpToDate; a second author disclosed ties to AstraZeneca.

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