Promoting Wellness Across the Lifespan for Cancer Survivors (2025-2026)

Background

There are over 18 million cancer survivors in the United States. Over the next ten years, this number is projected to increase to 22.5 million. Although survivors are living longer, this population faces a high symptom burden and significant impacts on quality of life.

At both ends of the age continuum, survivors face particularly serious challenges. For older cancer survivors, geriatric issues arise, such as high symptom burden, the simultaneous use of multiple drugs and ageism. For adolescent and young adult survivors, sexual and reproductive health are common areas of concern that are often under-addressed. These two vulnerable groups require specialized attention throughout their survivorship journey to reduce physical and psychological symptoms and improve quality of life in the short and long term. It is essential that we approach survivorship care broadly, focusing on the unique needs of survivors across the lifespan.

Project Description

This project team will conduct two research studies targeting well-being across the lifespan among cancer survivors.

Study 1: Team members will develop a brief geriatric assessment and need-based behavioral intervention protocol for addressing aging-specific concerns and multimorbidity in older adults with lung cancer. The geriatric assessment will be tailored to older patients with lung cancer to identify the unique concerns of this population. To help address the concerns identified by the geriatric assessment, the project team will then develop a behavioral intervention to address older lung cancer patients’ symptom management needs and enhance patient engagement with healthcare specialties targeting aging-specific concerns (e.g., PT, OT, nutrition, and mental health services).

Study 2: In this complimentary study, the team will refine and implement an educational intervention to include male adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors’ sexual well-being. This endeavor builds on an intervention developed by a previous team that created a novel sexual health education program targeting the unique sexual and reproductive health needs of female AYA cancer survivors. The 2025-2026 project team will extend this work to conduct qualitative interviews with male AYA cancer survivors to develop a sexual health education program addressing the unique needs of males.

Team members will assist in developing educational materials, conducting user testing sessions of the education program with five male AYAs, and pilot testing the developed education program with a second set of 16 male AYA survivors. The team will obtain feedback from participants through surveys and an exit interview, and the educational program will be further refined.

Anticipated Outputs

Geriatric assessment and behavioral intervention; pilot sexual health education intervention; manuscripts and poster presentations

Student Opportunities

Ideally, this project team will include 2 graduate students and 8 undergraduate students with interests in psychology, sociology, nursing, neuroscience, biology, global health and gender, sexuality and feminist studies.

The team will be divided into two subteams, one focused on the geriatric assessment/intervention and the other on AYA survivor interventions. Students will have opportunities to refine the intervention materials, complete structured interviews with patients and providers, shadow oncology provider(s) in the clinic, code interview data, learn how to analyze qualitative and quantitative data. Students may also have the opportunity to participate in the delivery of the developed interventions.

Graduate students will also have the opportunity to serve in project management roles, including teaching and modeling professional development and communication skills, time management skills, and research and writing skills.

In Fall 2025, the team will meet on Tuesdays from 3-5 p.m., with a hybrid of in-person and Zoom meetings.

Timing

Fall 2025 – Spring 2026

• Fall 2025: Refine behavioral intervention material (e.g., patient manuals), observe patient and provider interviews; take field notes; shadow oncologist in clinic; create academic poster(s)
• Spring 2026: Code qualitative interview data; learn how to conduct and interpret quantitative analyses; collaboratively write manuscript(s)
• Summer 2026: Code qualitative interview data; collaboratively write manuscript(s)

Crediting

Academic credit available for fall and spring semesters; summer funding available

See earlier related team, Promoting Wellness Across the Lifespan for Cancer Survivors (2024-2025).