Cancer Survivors Experience Greater Declines in Physical Wellbeing Compared to Non-Cancer Individuals

Survivors of cancer can expect to experience more significant declines in physical wellbeing compared to those without a cancer diagnosis. According to a study published in BMC Medicine, researchers from the Australian National University found that even after treatment, cancer survivors can expect to experience greater physical and psychological declines than those without cancer. The study, which analyzed data from over 142,000 participants in the 45 and Up Study, found that cancer survivors experienced declines in physical functioning, with greater deterioration observed in those with multiple myeloma, lung cancer, and leukemia.

Key Takeaways:

• The study analyzed data from over 142,000 participants in the 45 and Up Study, including 9,313 individuals who had developed cancer.
• Cancer survivors experienced declines in physical functioning, with a mean-score of 77.5 versus 82.9 at follow-up, representing a mean-change of -8.31 versus -4.71.
• Physical outcomes varied by cancer type, with greater deterioration observed in multiple myeloma, lung cancer, and leukemia, and lesser declines in breast, colorectal, and prostate cancers.
• Greater deterioration in physical and psychological outcomes were observed in cancer survivors with more advanced disease at diagnosis and recent cancer treatment at follow-up.
• Cancer survivors not receiving recent cancer treatment had physical and psychological outcomes comparable to those without cancer.

Statistics:

• 12.2/1000 person-years of incident cancer were observed among the study participants.
• 30.0% of those without cancer had moderate or severe physical functioning limitations at baseline, increasing to 40.6% at follow-up.
• 35.2% of cancer survivors had moderate or severe physical functioning limitations at baseline, increasing to 52.3% at follow-up.
• 80% of those with and without incident cancer had low psychological distress at both baseline and follow-up.

Sources:

• Australian National University News Report: "Researchers from Australian National University Detail Findings in Cancer (Physical disability and psychological distress before and after a diagnosis of cancer: evidence on multiple cancer types from a large Australian cohort study, compared to people without a cancer diagnosis)." Health & Medicine Week. June 13, 2025; p 5878.
• Zhang et al. (2025). Physical disability and psychological distress before and after a diagnosis of cancer: evidence on multiple cancer types from a large Australian cohort study, compared to people without a cancer diagnosis. BMC Medicine, 23(1), 1-15. (http://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com).