ABSTRACT

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is a common haematological cancer that is comprised of approximately 30 subtypes, of which Waldenström Macroglobulinemia (WM) is a rare incurable form. It is typically managed using a watch-and-wait strategy that can contribute to illness uncertainty which may result in fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) and poor health-related quality of life (QOL). However, few studies have examined the correlates of FCR and QOL in NHL patients, including WM patients. One-hundred males and 92 females with a mean age of 62.7 years who were an average of 6.8 years from diagnosis completed the online questionnaire which asked about demographics, medical history, QOL, FCR, stress, anxiety and depression. Few NHL patients reported significant stress or affective distress, most had moderate-high QOL and 41% experienced recent FCR, relative to published cut-off scores. Poorer QOL was related to depression symptoms, FCR, higher illness burden (i.e. comorbidity) and fewer personal resources (i.e. unemployed), whereas FCR was related to shorter time since diagnosis and more depressive symptoms. Results suggest that FCR and depressive symptoms may adversely impact QOL, whereas a recent cancer diagnosis and depression-related pessimism may contribute to FCR.

摘要

非霍奇金淋巴瘤 (NHL) 是一种常见的血液系统癌症，由大约 30 种亚型组成，其中瓦尔登斯特伦巨球蛋白血症 (WM) 是一种罕见的无法治愈的形式。它通常使用观察和等待策略进行管理，这可能会导致疾病不确定性，从而可能导致对癌症复发 (FCR) 和健康相关生活质量 (QOL) 的恐惧。然而，很少有研究检查 NHL 患者（包括 WM 患者）的 FCR 和 QOL 的相关性。100 名男性和 92 名女性，平均年龄 62.7 岁，平均诊断时间为 6.8 年，完成了在线问卷调查，询问人口统计学、病史、QOL、FCR、压力、焦虑和抑郁。很少有 NHL 患者报告有明显的压力或情感困扰，大多数患者的生活质量中等偏高，41% 的患者近期经历过 FCR，相对于公布的截止分数。较差的 QOL 与抑郁症状、FCR、较高的疾病负担（即合并症）和较少的个人资源（即失业）有关，而 FCR 与较短的诊断时间和更多的抑郁症状有关。结果表明，FCR 和抑郁症状可能会对 QOL 产生不利影响，而最近的癌症诊断和抑郁相关的悲观情绪可能会导致 FCR。