With this application we want to strengthen the scientific Nordic collaboration and research infrastructure within the research area of socioeconomic consequences of long-term survival of childhood cancer. Knowledge of such late effects in childhood cancer survivors is highly requested by the survivors and their families.
One of the major advances of the suggested studies and a novel approach is that we will be able to take into consideration the inter-relationship between the various health-related and socioeconomic outcomes under study. Having a heart disease or a depression, it may be especially difficult for young survivors of childhood cancer to obtain a job. With this application, we will be able to answer the question: What will be the socioeconomic consequences for survivors having many serious diseases or a mental disorder?
The Nordic countries has earned a preeminent reputation for possessing the most complete and interwoven collection of individual data in administrative registries touching on almost every aspect of life including socioeconomic data on education, and jobs. Using these unique resources in Denmark, Sweden and Finland for conducting research, we suggest carrying out several studies to evaluate socioeconomic consequences of long-term survival. Survivors, who experience difficulties later in life, will be identified, with the prospect of being able to remedy some of these difficulties by early intervention.
In the largest studies ever within this research field including more than 26 000 childhood cancer survivors and nearly 168 000 population comparisons in Denmark, Finland and Sweden, we will study 1) hospital contacts for mental disease, 2) the following socioeconomic achievements or life goals: leaving home, cohabitation, founding a family, education and employment attainment, and 3) the socioeconomic burden of childhood cancer by determining social security benefits.
With this approach, we believe that we will add a major contribution to this field by improving our understanding of the implications cancer in young age may have on life. Identification of survivors with the highest socioeconomic burden is urgently needed in order to develop intervention strategies aimed at supporting these subgroups of survivors through critical phases in life. Education, having family and children, and a job is an important and challenging life goal for anyone - but even more significant for cancer survivors.
