Journal Article

Long-term health-related quality of life and lifestyle behavior of patients with acute myeloid leukemia

Panovska-Stavridis, Irina, Maurillo, Luca, Quattrone, Martina, Fracchiolla, Nicola, Melillo, Lorella Maria Antonia, Lemoli, Roberto Massimo, Cannella, Laura, Audisio, Ernesta, Capria, Saveria, Crugnola, Monica, Vignetti, Marco, Thomas, Xavier, Filardi, Nunzio, Efficace, Fabio, Trisolini, Silvia Maria, Yuksel, Meltem Kurt, Baron, Frederic, Imovilli, Annalisa, Vallisa, Daniele, Sparano, Francesco, Baldi, Thomas, Ciccone, Maria, Skerget, Matevz

2026

Overview

Abstract Background Despite improvements in survival outcomes for acute myeloid leukemia (AML), limited evidence is available on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and health problems experienced by long-term survivors. Patients and methods This international, cross-sectional study evaluated HRQoL, comorbidities, and lifestyle behaviors among long-term AML survivors enrolled from 24 centers across 6 countries. Health-related quality of life was assessed using the SF-36 and the EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaires, while comorbidities were measured with an adapted version of the validated self-administered comorbidity questionnaire. Lifestyle factors, including physical activity, diet, smoking, alcohol consumption, and body mass index, were also assessed. Results Overall, 225 AML survivors were enrolled, with a median time since diagnosis of 8.8 years (IQR 6.4-11.9) and a median age of 58.9 years (IQR 49.0-67.0). Compared with the general population, AML survivors exhibited clinically relevant impairments in SF-36 physical functioning (Δ = −8.09, P < .001) and role physical scales (Δ = -11.09, P < .001), as well as clinically relevant lower physical component summary scores (Δ = -3.94, P < .001). Survivors treated with alloSCT reported worse HRQoL profiles compared with those treated with autoSCT or chemotherapy only. Comorbidities were highly prevalent (88.5%), with impaired vision, back pain, and arthrosis/arthritis being the most frequent. Analysis of lifestyle behaviors showed that 66.2% of AML survivors were physically inactive, 80.2% did not meet dietary recommendations, and 55.3% were overweight/obese. Multivariate analysis identified physical inactivity as the only independent factor associated with worse HRQoL (β = −6.3, P < .001). Conclusion Our study shows that AML survivors experience physical limitations and a high comorbidity burden even many years after diagnosis, and it provides insights to better inform survivorship care programs. Further research examining the relationship between physical activity and HRQoL in long-term AML survivors is warranted.

• Publisher: Oxford University Press,Oxford University Press (OUP)
• Subject: acute myeloid leukemia / Adult / Aged / Cancer Survivors - psychology / Comorbidity / Cross-Sectional Studies / Exercise / Female / health-related quality of life / hematologic neoplasms / Hematology / Human health sciences / Humans / Hématologie / Leukemia / Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute - epidemiology / Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute - pathology / Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute - psychology / Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute - therapy / Life Style / Lifestyles / long-term cancer survivors / Male / Middle Aged / Original / patient-reported outcome / Quality of Life / Sciences de la santé humaine / Surveys and Questionnaires