RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Long-term distress in older patients with cancer: a longitudinal cohort study JF BJGP Open JO BJGP Open FD Royal College of General Practitioners SP bjgpopen19X101658 DO 10.3399/bjgpopen19X101658 A1 Stephanie Dauphin A1 Leontien Jansen A1 Tine De Burghgraeve A1 Laura Deckx A1 Frank Buntinx A1 Marjan van den Akker YR 2019 UL http://bjgpopen.org/content/early/2019/09/03/bjgpopen19X101658.abstract AB Background Receiving a cancer diagnosis can be a major life event which causes distress even years after primary treatment.Aim To examine the prevalence of distress in older patients with cancer (OPCs) up until 5 years post-diagnosis, and identify predictors present at time of diagnosis. Results are compared with reference groups of middle-aged patients with cancer (MPCs) and older patients without a cancer diagnosis (OPs).Design & setting OPCs, MPCs, and OPs participated in a longitudinal cohort study in Belgium and the Netherlands by filling in questionnaires at designated time points from 2010–2019.Method Data from 541 patients were analysed using multivariable logistic regression analyses.Results At baseline, 40% of OPCs, 37% of MPCs, and 17% of OPs reported distress. After 5 years, 35% of OPCs, 23% of MPCs, and 25% of OPs reported distress. No significant predictors for long-term distress in OPCs and OPs were found. For MPCs, it was found that baseline distress (odds ratio [OR] 2.94; 95% confidence intervals [CI] = 1.40 to 6.19) and baseline fatigue (OR 4.71; 95% CI = 1.81 to 12.31) predicted long-term distress.Conclusion Distress is an important problem for people with cancer, with peaks at different moments after diagnosis. Feelings of distress are present shortly after diagnosis but they decrease quickly for the majority of patients. In the long term, however, OPCs in particular appear to be most at risk for distress. This warrants extra attention from primary healthcare professionals, such as GPs who are often patients’ first medical contact point. More research into risk factors occurring later in an illness trajectory might shed more light on predictors for development of long-term distress.