Health-Related Quality of Life in Long-Term Survivors of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma: A French Population-Based Study.

Background/

Objectives

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) represents 63% of all hematological malignancies in France, with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and follicular lymphoma (FL) being the two most frequent forms. With the improvement of therapeutics, the issue of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is becoming increasingly crucial for these patients. The aim was to compare HRQoL of NHL survivors with that of the general French population and to identify factors associated with HRQoL in NHL survivors.

Methods

We conducted a population-based study among living patients from three registries of hematological malignancies, using standardized questionnaires, including the SF-12, in September 2023. The data collected were compared to those of a normative general French cohort.

Results

In total, 493 patients completed the study questionnaires, yielding a response rate of 36%. The median time since diagnosis was 8 years (IQR 6-10) These NHL survivors reported lower HRQoL compared to the general French population, except in terms of bodily pain (p < 0.01). Each one-year increase in the time since diagnosis was associated with an increase in social functioning (p = 0.009). Men had better general health (p = 0.01) and less bodily pain (p = 0.007) than women. Higher income was associated with better HRQoL (p < 0.01). Underweight or obesity were associated with poorer physical functioning (p = 0.008). The presence of comorbidities, socioeconomic deprivation, anxiety, and depression were associated with poorer HRQoL (p < 0.01).

Conclusions

This study provides valuable information of HRQoL values for comparison in further follow-up studies and proposes measures that could be implemented to improve the HRQoL of NHL survivors.