Background: Over 1.5million Australians are living with/beyond cancer and over half of them with breast, colorectal, lung, ovarian or prostate cancer. The majority have unmet information or psychosocial needs.
Aim: To evaluate variations in supportive care needs during and after treatment between cancer types.
Methods: Australian adults with a history of breast, colorectal, lung, ovarian or prostate cancer, recruited through Facebook advertisements and stakeholder e-newsletters. Participants completed a purpose-built, cross-sectional, consumer/researcher co-designed online survey (34-items). Quantitative data were summarised using summary statistics; mean±standard deviation and frequencies/percentages and compared using chi-square and Bonferroni adjustment. Free-text responses were analysed thematically.
Results: Participants (N=457) had a mean age 59±11years (range 26-83years) and were diagnosed with breast (23%), colorectal (20%), lung (18%), ovarian (18%), prostate (19%) or multiple cancers (2%). Most were female (71%), born in Australia (77%) and one-third were from regional/rural/remote areas. Participants reported receiving ‘some-’ or ‘little to no information’ during versus post-treatment (33% vs 53%). During treatment, there was variability between cancer types in desiring information about free health programs (X2[5]=20.70, p<0.001; e.g. 63% colorectal, 31% prostate), financial support (X2[5]=11.313, p=0.046; e.g. 32% breast, 24% ovarian) and sexual health (X2[5]=47.725, p<0.001; e.g. 45% prostate, 6% lung). Between cancer types, participants equally desired information regarding diet, exercise or mental health/self-care.. After active treatment, there was variability in desire for information about diet (X2[5]=16.25, p=0.012; e.g. 39% colorectal, 13% lung) and sexual health (X2[5]=24.01, p<0.01; e.g. 33% prostate, 5% lung) but participants equally desired information about exercise, mental health, fear of recurrence, side effects and financial assistance.. Qualitative results found ‘seeking support immediately’, ‘being prepared’ and ‘leading a healthy lifestyle’ were important for managing mental and physical health during and after treatment.
Conclusions: Participants had shared and cancer-specific supportive care needs during and after treatment, which could inform development of future interventions. Early and accessible intervention were key themes across cancer types.