Health problems 'more likely' in older female cancer survivors

Older female survivors of cancer are at a greater risk of health problems than women in the same age group who have never had the disease.

This is according to researchers from Case Western Reserve University's Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, who discovered that health problems were more prevalent in 245 married cancer survivors compared to 245 married women who had never developed a form of the disease.

Lead researcher Aloen Townsend said there is a "pressing need" for more studies on older cancer survivors, with her team's findings having possible consequences for cancer insurance.

"It is critical to disentangle the experiences that are unique to older cancer survivors from experiences that are common to aging individuals," she commented.

The ages of the women in the study ranged from 51 to 61, and all had 12 years of education and had been married for between 27 and 29 years.

Of the cancer group, of which breast and gynaecological were the most common, the average time of diagnosis was ten years prior to the study beginning.

Reported health problems among the cancer survivors include high levels of fatigue, more days in bed and physical limitations. This group was also more likely to have received a number of home visits from doctors, while a relatively high rate of depression was also recorded.

According to Cancer Research UK, breast cancer is the most common form of the disease in the UK, with approximately 125 women diagnosed with the disease every day.

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