Protective skin care behaviors in cancer survivors.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Research suggests that physicians neglect preventive care for cancer survivors. A survivor's self-motivation with respect to preventive care is unknown. Using protective skin care as a proxy, our aims were to characterize preventive care in cancer survivors and to identify factors associated with appropriate prevention. METHODS: Using data from the 2009 U.S. Health Information National Trends Survey, we compared preventive skin care patterns in cancer survivors and non-cancer patients. Primary endpoints were the use of sunscreens, long-sleeved shirts, hats, and shade. RESULTS: We identified 179 early cancer survivors (<5 years), 242 intermediate cancer survivors (5-10 years), 412 long-term cancer survivors (>10 years), and 5951 non-cancer patients. The use of sunscreens (60%), long-sleeved shirts (88%), hats (58%), and shade (68%) was suboptimal. Overall, cancer survivors were not more likely to adhere to preventive care (p = 0.89). A composite score showed a significant difference between the cancer survivor groups (p < 0.01) whereby intermediate survivors reported the best preventive practices. CONCLUSIONS: A prior diagnosis of cancer does not appear to increase personal compliance with cancer prevention. Reasons for this poor engagement are not clear. Targeted strategies to increase self-motivation might improve preventive practices in cancer survivors.