Abstract
AIM: Most children with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) survive today, yet about 50% experience long-term complications. This study evaluated health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in survivors of childhood HL. METHODS: Two different HRQoL-instruments, the EuroQoL 5-Dimension 5-Level (EQ-5D-5L) and Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) questionnaires, were sent to all individuals aged 0-18 and diagnosed with HL in Sweden and Finland from 2005 to 2019. RESULTS: A total of 135 of 377 survivors responded to the survey. The mean EQ-5D-5L index was 0.933 ± 0.11 and the EuroQoL Visual Analogue Scale (EQ-VAS) score averaged 75.1 ± 17.6. Females reported lower scores than males on the EQ-5D-5L index (p = 0.007) and EQ-VAS (p = 0.022), as well as more problems within the PROMIS-domains for physical function (p = 0.016), fatigue (p < 0.001), anxiety (p < 0.001), and depression (p = 0.002). Both EQ-5D-5L index and PROMIS T-scores for all assessed domains were comparable with the general population, including differences between sexes. Our analysis indicated that an EQ-VAS cut-off of ≤ 85 effectively identified 90%, or more, of the individuals reporting problems in the PROMIS domains for fatigue, anxiety and depression. CONCLUSION: Survivors of childhood HL report a good HRQoL. The EQ-VAS may serve as a useful, simple screening tool for detecting survivors in need of psychosocial interventions.