Patient Experiences for Thyroid Cancer Survivors Transitioning from Cancer Treatment Teams to Primary Care

Abstract

Background: Despite the increasing incidence of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC), mortality remains stable. Prior studies have shown that cancer survivors report several unmet physical and psychosocial needs. However, the needs of DTC survivors transitioning to primary care remain unknown. Objectives: 1) To describe the self-reported physical, emotional, practical and informational needs of low-risk DTC survivors during the transition period to primary care and 2) To compare these needs to other cancer survivors. Methods: This is a cross-sectional multiple methods design using the 83-item “Cancer Transition Survey”. The survey was administered to adult patients with low-risk DTC diagnosed between 2006 to 2020, who were transitioning to primary care. Survey data from DTC survivors was compared to data from other cancer survivors previously surveyed. Results: The most common posttreatment needs reported were fatigue, anxiety/fear of recurrence and depression/low mood. Fatigue was significantly more common in DTC survivors compared to other cancer survivors.