TABLE 2.
The association between educational level and the risk of reporting impaired functioning or symptoms at clinically important levels in Danish breast, prostate, lung, and colon cancer survivors.
| Education a | Cancer survivors | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breast | Prostate | Lung | Colon | ||
| OR (99% CI) | OR (99% CI) | OR (99% CI) | OR (99% CI) | ||
| Functioning scales (EORTC QLQ‐C30) | |||||
| Physical function | Short | 2.41 (2.01; 2.89) | 1.81 (1.48; 2.21) | 2.97 (1.95; 4.57) | 1.69 (1.28; 2.24) |
| Medium | 1.50 (1.34; 1.67) | 1.37 (1.20; 1.57) | 1.69 (1.25; 2.28) | 1.26 (1.04; 1.53) | |
| Role function | Short | 2.58 (2.06; 3.22) | 1.98 (1.50; 2.60) | 2.40 (1.52; 3.81) | 1.95 (1.34; 2.83) |
| Medium | 1.50 (1.29; 1.74) | 1.51 (1.25; 1.85) | 1.75 (1.22; 2.55) | 1.29 (0.98; 1.71) | |
| Emotional function | Short | 2.71 (2.07; 3.52) | 2.16 (1.43; 3.21) | 2.08 (1.11; 3.91) | 1.53 (0.86; 2.64) |
| Medium | 1.55 (1.28; 1.86) | 1.30 (0.96; 1.76) | 1.63 (0.99; 2.79) | 1.20 (0.82; 1.79) | |
| Cognitive function | Short | 2.10 (1.73; 2.55) | 1.75 (1.38; 2.20) | 1.53 (0.97; 2.39) | 1.39 (1.00; 1.92) |
| Medium | 1.37 (1.22; 1.54) | 1.25 (1.06; 1.47) | 1.34 (0.95; 1.90) | 1.19 (0.96; 1.49) | |
| Social function | Short | 1.81 (1.48; 2.22) | 1.14 (0.92; 1.41) | 1.47 (0.94; 2.29) | 1.26 (0.88; 1.78) |
| Medium | 1.33 (1.17; 1.50) | 1.18 (1.03; 1.35) | 1.26 (0.90; 1.78) | 1.11 (0.88; 1.40) | |
| Symptom scales and single items (EORTC QLQ‐C30) | |||||
| Fatigue | Short | 2.18 (1.80; 2.64) | 1.70 (1.34; 2.15) | 1.95 (1.28; 2.99) | 1.41 (1.01; 1.96) |
| Medium | 1.34 (1.19; 1.51) | 1.24 (1.05; 1.46) | 1.51 (1.09; 2.10) | 1.07 (0.85; 1.35) | |
| Nausea/vomiting | Short | 1.99 (1.58; 2.49) | 1.51 (1.10; 2.06) | 1.65 (1.01; 2.71) | 1.56 (1.07; 2.24) |
| Medium | 1.37 (1.18; 1.59) | 1.28 (1.03; 1.59) | 1.32 (0.90; 1.97) | 1.15 (0.89; 1.49) | |
| Pain | Short | 2.37 (1.98; 2.85) | 1.87 (1.51; 2.30) | 2.07 (1.36; 3.15) | 1.72 (1.28; 2.31) |
| Medium | 1.57 (1.41; 1.74) | 1.43 (1.24; 1.64) | 1.43 (1.04; 1.98) | 1.32 (1.07; 1.62) | |
| Dyspnea | Short | 1.99 (1.65; 2.39) | 1.92 (1.58; 2.34) | 2.14 (1.35; 3.44) | 1.63 (1.23; 2.16) |
| Medium | 1.48 (1.32; 1.65) | 1.59 (1.39; 1.82) | 1.46 (1.06; 2.00) | 1.33 (1.10; 1.61) | |
| Insomnia | Short | 1.91 (1.57; 2.31) | 1.34 (1.01; 1.78) | 1.65 (1.03; 2.66) | 1.11 (0.76; 1.58) |
| Medium | 1.28 (1.14; 1.45) | 1.28 (1.07; 1.55) | 1.25 (0.86; 1.82) | 0.96 (0.75; 1.22) | |
| Appetite loss | Short | 3.28 (2.15; 4.96) | 2.05 (1.21; 3.38) | 2.62 (1.29; 5.47) | 1.48 (0.75; 2.82) |
| Medium | 1.93 (1.41; 2.65) | 1.44 (0.99; 2.13) | 1.85 (1.03; 3.54) | 1.19 (0.75; 1.93) | |
| Constipation | Short | 1.75 (1.26; 2.41) | 1.41 (0.88; 2.21) | 1.22 (0.58; 2.51) | 1.41 (0.83; 2.32) |
| Medium | 1.23 (0.99; 1.52) | 1.34 (0.98; 1.84) | 1.21 (0.71; 2.15) | 1.26 (0.89; 1.80) | |
| Diarrhea | Short | 1.44 (1.15; 1.79) | 1.42 (1.12; 1.78) | 1.45 (0.92; 2.28) | 1.10 (0.83; 1.45) |
| Medium | 1.22 (1.07; 1.39) | 1.47 (1.27; 1.71) | 1.17 (0.83; 1.66) | 1.15 (0.97; 1.38) | |
| Financial difficulties | Short | 2.24 (1.77; 2.83) | 2.34 (1.68; 3.23) | 2.39 (1.40; 4.09) | 1.86 (1.20; 2.84) |
| Medium | 1.41 (1.21; 1.64) | 1.89 (1.50; 2.39) | 1.71 (1.12; 2.68) | 1.19 (0.87; 1.63) | |
Note: Long education is the reference for all analyses. All analyses are adjusted for age at diagnosis, sex, and time since diagnosis.
Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; EORTC QLQ‐C30, European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Core Questionnaire; OR, odds ratio.
a
Education: categorized as short (mandatory school; ≤9 years), medium (secondary education or vocational education; 10–12 years), and long education (higher education; >12 years).