Impact of late effects severity of anticancer therapy on subjective quality of life of childhood cancer survivors

Psychosocial problems of patients who underwent childhood malignancy treatment are together with health problems the most severe consequences of anticancer therapy. In this study, we deal with relationship between severity of late effects and subjective quality of life of childhood cancer survivors. The sample consisted of 95 cancer survivors (47 boys and 48 girls) aged 13 to 19 who were in remission for 2 to 5 years at the time of examination. To measure quality of life we used the Minnesota-Minneapolis Quality of Life Instrument (MMQL), severity of late effects we assessed on 4-point scale in accordance with CTCAE (Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events v3.0). Severity of late effects of anticancer therapy influences negatively physical functioning, cognitive functioning, body image and social functioning. Psychological (emotional) functioning and outlook of life are not significantly impacted by severity of late effects