Dr. I-Chan Huang received a Meritorious Award for his study presented at the 6th Biennial Cancer Survivorship Research Conference hosted jointly by the National Cancer Institute, American Cancer Society, LIVESTRONG, and CDC. This conference was held on June 14-16, 2012, in Arlington, Virginia. Dr. Huang is among 8 scientists, selected out of 187, to receive this honor. Dr. Huang’s study focuses on the associations of symptomatic late effects with health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among adult survivors of childhood cancer. This study analyzed 1,667 long-term cancer survivors (on average 25.5 years since original diagnosis) who are enrolled in St. Jude Lifetime cohort (SJLIFE) program.
The major findings are: the majority of survivors (87%) reported multiple symptoms, and the presence of symptoms explained at least 63% of the variance in HRQOL. Given the findings, it is recommended to alleviate symptoms as one avenue to improve HRQOL. It is also important to understand the complexity among different symptoms and associated treatments, and tailor individual care for cancer survivors. This study is based on collaboration between UF and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Significant contributors include Dr. Elizabeth Shenkman, and PhD student Kelly Kenzik (UF), and Drs. Kevin Krull, Leslie Robison, and Melissa Hudson (St. Jude).