Description of the BRIGHTLIGHT cohort: the evaluation of teenage and young adult cancer services in England

Identificadores
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10498/21468
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-027797
ISSN: 2044-6055
Files
Statistics
Metrics and citations
Share
Metadata
Show full item recordDate
2019-06Department
Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Microbiología, Medicina Preventiva, Salud PúblicaSource
BMJ Open 2019;9:e027797Abstract
Objective International recognition of the unique needs
of young people with cancer is growing. Many countries
have developed specialist age-appropriate cancer services
believing them to be of value. In England, 13 specialist
principal treatment centres (PTCs) deliver cancer care to
young people. Despite this expansion of specialist care,
systematic investigation of associated outcomes and
costs has, to date, been lacking. The aim of this paper is
to describe recruitment and baseline characteristics of the
BRIGHTLIGHT cohort and the development of the bespoke
measures of levels of care and disease severity, which will
inform the evaluation of cancer services in England.
Design Prospective, longitudinal, observational study.
Setting Ninety-seven National Health Service hospitals in
England.
Participants A total of 1114 participants were recruited and
diagnosed between July 2012 and December 2014: 55%
(n=618) were men, mean age was 20.1 years (SD=3.3),
most (86%) were white and most common diagnoses were
lymphoma (31%), germ cell tumour (19%) and leukaemia
(13%).
Results At diagnosis, median quality of life score was
significantly lower than a published control threshold (69.7
points); 40% had borderline to severe anxiety, and 21%
had borderline to severe depression. There was minimal
variation in other patient-reported outcomes according to
age, diagnosis or severity of illness. Survival was lower in
the cohort than for young people diagnosed during the same
period who were not recruited (cumulative survival probability
4 years after diagnosis: 88% vs 92%).
Conclusions Data collection was completed in March 2018.
Longitudinal comparisons will determine outcomes and costs
associated with access/exposure to PTCs. Findings will inform
international intervention and policy initiatives to improve
outcomes for young people with cancer.
Collections
- Artículos Científicos [4834]
- Articulos Científicos Biomedicina [213]