Longitudinal Quality of Life and What Matters Most to Older Adults with Indolent Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

Project Summary Older adults undergoing cancer treatment prioritize quality of life (QOL), which encompasses crucial domains such as physical functioning, physical health, and social well-being. Advances in therapies have extended survival for many cancers, transforming some, including various blood cancers, into chronic conditions. Indolent non-Hodgkin lymphomas (iNHL) are one group of such cancers that exemplify the challenges for these incurable cancers in which disease control must be balanced with other medical considerations such as life expectancy, medical comorbidities, frailty, and functional status. Unfortunately, current guidelines for iNHL lack a focus on QOL, which can leave older patients at risk for over- and under-treatment, leading to excess worry, distress, and monitoring from their healthcare that may not improve or extend their life. Our study will describe how older adults with iNHL experience QOL using a large existing lymphoma cohort study and direct patient narratives. By evaluating their lived experiences and priorities using quantitative survey data (Aim 1) and qualitative interview data (Aim 2), we will provide a detailed description and examination of their essential connections and associations. These insights will inform future care interventions for subsequent research that will help address the needs of older patients with these (and potentially other) chronic cancers. This proposal will deploy geriatric and supportive care principles to build foundational knowledge to eventually improve the holistic management of older adults with iNHL. This proposed project will also serve as a crucial first step in the principal investigator’s maturation as an aging researcher devoted to caring for older adults with blood cancers.