Abstract CN75
Background
Lymphoma survivors are at increased risk of unmet needs due to cancer, its treatment-related toxicities and extended survivorship. Despite the rapidly increasing numbers of lymphoma cancer survivors, their needs and research priorities are underserved and undervalued, therefore left unaddressed. This research aimed to establish an understanding of the unmet needs of people living with or beyond a lymphoma diagnosis.
Methods
A rapid review method and reflexive thematic analysis approach assimilated current knowledge and analysed the heterogeneous body of included literature by identifying patterns across the dataset Eligibility criteria included adults with any diagnosis of lymphoma at any stage of disease. Five databases: CINAHL, EMBASE, Medline, PsycInfo and Scopus, were systematically searched.
Results
Forty-seven studies met the inclusion criteria, with over 20% reporting unmet financial or work-related needs. Of the studies reporting participants’ employment status, a sizeable number (40 – 85%) of lymphoma survivors were in employment. ‘The Monetary Cost of Survival’ was the central theme relating to concerns about earning money, meeting daily expenses and depleted savings for some lymphoma survivors. Financial difficulties were associated with insufficient support, and disparities in care delivery were found across international literature. A lack of transparency in the billing department of a US hospital was reported, while some countries in Europe had government-supported healthcare and welfare systems. Staying employed from diagnosis throughout treatment was associated with a higher likelihood of employment later in life. Furthermore, being immunocompromised can be a significant barrier to returning to work for lymphoma survivors.
Conclusions
Lymphoma survivors are active in our global workforce yet experience a significant burden of financial and work-related concerns. There are discrepancies in the financial implications for survivors based on their country of residence. More research is needed to identify the most prevalent problems relating to unmet financial and work-related needs to advance supportive care and services for this population.
Clinical trial identification
Editorial acknowledgement
Legal entity responsible for the study
The authors.
Funding
Trinity College Dublin.
Disclosure
A. Drury: Financial Interests, Personal, Full or part-time Employment: University College Dublin; Financial Interests, Institutional, Research Grant, I am a collaborator on the Pfizer-funded project ABC4Nurses, which is coordinated and managed by EONS: Pfizer; Non-Financial Interests, Invited Speaker: European Oncology Nursing Society; Non-Financial Interests, Advisory Role, I am an advisor on several EONS projects, including ABC4Nurses and RCC & HCC PROMS: European Oncology Nursing Society. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest.