Quality of life of long‐term childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia survivors: Comparison with healthy controls

OBJECTIVE: Improved treatment landscape has led to better outcomes for paediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) survivors. As the number of survivors increase, we need to elucidate the long‐term quality of life (QoL) and domains of complaints in these patients. Furthermore, the main priorities of these patients need to be clarified. We assessed long‐term QoL outcomes of survivors of childhood ALL compared to matched population controls. METHODS: QoL data were collected from survivors recruited in France and Belgium between 2012 and 2017, including the Short Form Health Survey (SF‐12) and the Quality of Life Systemic Inventory (QLSI). The Wilcoxon test was used to compare SF‐12 scale scores between survivors and matched population controls. For the QLSI, comparisons were mainly descriptive. RESULTS: One hundred and eighty‐six survivors (mean age: 27.6 years; range: 18.1–52.8) at follow‐up completed QoL measures, amongst whom 180 were matched to controls. Overall, survivors had higher QoL on all SF12 scale scores, indicating that they had better functioning compared to controls. Statistically significant differences on the SF12 were observed for Vitality, Social Functioning, Role Limitations due to Emotional Problems and Mental Health scales. QLSI outcomes suggested that survivors were happier than controls with Couple and Social Relations. Controls were unhappiest compared to survivors with Money, Love life, Self‐esteem, Nutrition and Paid Work. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that survivors of childhood ALL have better QoL outcomes on some domains compared to the general population, specifically around social and emotional functioning, and that they tend to prioritize their relationships more. Interventions for improving QoL outcomes, might build on existing positive experiences with family, friends and partners.