Adherence to cancer screening guidelines in Australian survivors of allogeneic blood and marrow transplantation (BMT)

This study is the largest and most comprehensive to date exploring cancer screening adherence in BMT survivors in Australia. These data provide the basis for health service reform to better meet the needs of BMT survivors and provide evidence to support counseling and education of both patients and professionals. We conducted a cross‐sectional survey of 441 Blood and Marrow Transplant (BMT) survivors who were >1 year post transplant, to explore rates of screening for secondary cancers and to identify barriers to adherence with cancer screening recommendations. Rates of cancer screening uptake were as follows: cervical 63.4%, breast 53.3%, skin 52.4%, and bowel 32.3%. Improved quality of life was associated with screening for skin, breast, and cervical cancer. Fear of cancer recurrence negatively impacted on cervical screening. For those who had not undergone screening, the majority reported not being advised to do so by their treatment team.
Source: Cancer Medicine - Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Tags: Original Research Source Type: research