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Employment status was highly associated with quality of life after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation, and the association may differ according to patient age and graft-versus-host disease status: analysis of a nationwide QOL survey

Bone Marrow Transplantation volume 54, pages 611–615 (2019)Cite this article

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Along with the increased number of long-term survivors, the importance of screening and caring for allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) survivors’ social well-being and quality of life (QOL), as well as late physical effects, has been recognized [1]. Compared to survivors of solid cancers, allo-HCT patients may be more susceptible to critical factors that influence the ability to return to work, including immuno-compromised status, chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), and other late effects [2, 3]. At the same time, because a considerable number of allo-HCT recipients are of working age, work-related issues are of essential importance in this population, which may impact their QOL. In order to identify targets of care and suitable approaches, we evaluated the relationship of employment status and QOL after allo-HCT using data from a nationwide cross-sectional questionnaire study [4]. To reflect the employment status after allo-HCT, we used two work-related factors, full-time employment or not at survey and career change after allo-HCT, to compare QOL among patients.

Eligibility criteria included allo-HCT for hematological disease between 1995 and 2009, ≥16 years at transplant and ≥20 years at survey, and relapse-free status at survey. Consent and response rates were 97 and 95%, respectively (Supplementary Figure 1), and 1140 pairs of patient and physician questionnaires were included in the original database. The protocol was approved by the institutional review board of each participating center. All subjects provided informed consent in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.

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Fig. 1

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported in part by the Practical Research Project for Allergic Diseases and Immunology (Research Technology of Medical Transplantation) from the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED), and the Japan Society for Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation.

Author contributions

SK, KO, and YA designed the study, manipulated the data file, and interpreted the data as the primary investigators of this study, and SK performed data analysis and wrote the manuscript. TY was primarily responsible for data analysis and interpretation of the data. AY prepared the data file and interpreted data. TF, HK, TM, ST, TK, SF, YO, SY, MO, YK, and IM gathered the patients’ data and interpreted data. ST, TY, YI, YK, and SO helped design the study, interpreted data, and provided administrative support for the study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation, National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo, Japan

    Saiko Kurosawa, Takahiro Fukuda & Yoshihiro Inamoto

  2. Division of Biostatistics, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan

    Takuhiro Yamaguchi

  3. Department of Hematology, Jyoban Hospital, Tokiwa Foundation, Fukushima, Japan

    Kumi Oshima

  4. Japanese Data Center for Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, Nagoya, Japan

    Atsumi Yanagisawa & Yoshiko Atsuta

  5. Department of Hematology, Kanagawa Cancer Center, Yokohama, Japan

    Heiwa Kanamori

  6. Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan

    Takehiko Mori & Shinichiro Okamoto

  7. Department of Hematology and Oncology, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

    Satoshi Takahashi

  8. Department of Hematology and Oncology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan

    Tadakazu Kondo

  9. Department of Hematology, Yokohama City University Medical Center, Yokohama, Japan

    Shin Fujisawa

  10. Department of Hematology and Rheumatology, Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai, Japan

    Yasushi Onishi

  11. Department of Clinical Oncology and Hematology, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan

    Shingo Yano

  12. Department of Hematology/Oncology, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara, Japan

    Makoto Onizuka

  13. Division of Hematology, Jichi Medical University, Tochigi, Japan

    Yoshinobu Kanda

  14. Department of Hematology, Hyogo Cancer Center, Akashi, Japan

    Ishikazu Mizuno

  15. Department of Hematology, Toranomon Hospital, Tokyo, Japan

    Shuichi Taniguchi

  16. Department of Hematology, St. Luke’s International Hospital, Tokyo, Japan

    Takuya Yamashita

  17. Department of Healthcare Administration, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan

    Yoshiko Atsuta

Authors
  1. Saiko Kurosawa
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  2. Takuhiro Yamaguchi
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  3. Kumi Oshima
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  4. Atsumi Yanagisawa
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  8. Satoshi Takahashi
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  9. Tadakazu Kondo
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  10. Shin Fujisawa
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  11. Yasushi Onishi
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  12. Shingo Yano
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  15. Ishikazu Mizuno
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  16. Shuichi Taniguchi
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  17. Takuya Yamashita
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  18. Yoshihiro Inamoto
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  19. Shinichiro Okamoto
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  20. Yoshiko Atsuta
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Saiko Kurosawa.

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Kurosawa, S., Yamaguchi, T., Oshima, K. et al. Employment status was highly associated with quality of life after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation, and the association may differ according to patient age and graft-versus-host disease status: analysis of a nationwide QOL survey. Bone Marrow Transplant 54, 611–615 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41409-018-0343-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41409-018-0343-x

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