Overview

• Women cancer survivors are 69% more likely to experience fatigue and 58% more likely to report depression compared to male survivors, according to new findings presented at the AACR annual meeting in Chicago.
• The study analyzed data from 1,555 cancer survivors in NHANES cohorts, extrapolating results to 25 million survivors across over 20 cancer types in the U.S.
• Moderate physical activity, such as walking or cycling, was associated with a 50% reduction in fatigue risk and a two- to five-fold decrease in depression risk among survivors.
• Biological factors like stronger immune responses, slower drug clearance, and hormone therapies, along with social roles, may contribute to worse post-cancer symptoms in women.
• The findings, which emphasize the importance of tailored survivorship care, are pending peer-reviewed publication and aim to guide future interventions to improve quality of life for survivors.