Health-related quality of life in AYA cancer survivors who underwent HSCT compared with healthy peers

Thisstudywasaimedatcomparingadolescentandyoungadult(AYA)Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) paediatric cancer survivors and a control group of healthy peers in terms of Health- Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) and frequency of posttraumaticstresssymptoms(PTSS).Theparticipantswere32AYAHSCTsurvi- vors and 28 matched healthy peers. The survivors were, on average, 19.4 years old (SD = 3.8), with an average age of 8.1 years (SD = 4.3) at diagnosis, and with a mean time, since treatment was completed, of 8.5 years (SD = 3.2). The majority of survi- vors (78.1%) did not show clinical PTSS, with intrusion symptoms most frequently reported in those who had undergone autologous HSCT (F = 3.3; df = 2; p = 0.05) and relapse presence in their treatment associated with more PTSS avoidance symptoms (r = 0.4; p=0.002).WomenreportedmoreproblemsintheSF-36painscale(t = 2.1; df = 31; p=0.04)thanmen.Additionally,87.5%ofsurvivorsfellbelowthe25thper- centileintheSF-36generalwell-beingscale,and70.8%hadthesametrendforthe SF-36fatiguescale.Survivorsreportedbetteremotionalwell-being(t=2.6,df = 27, p = 0.01) and fewer limitations than their healthy peers (t = 2.5, df = 27, p = 0.02), while they perceived a lower life satisfaction referring to the past (t=−2.8,df = 27, p = 0.009).