An Integrative Review of Sex Differences in Quality of Life and Symptoms Among Survivors of Hematologic Malignancies.
Sara M Tinsley-Vance, Dorothie S Durosier Mertilus, Lisa Nodzon and 1 others
PMID 37155973WHAT IT FOUND
Women with blood cancers report worse physical function, more pain, and greater symptom burden than men.
Overall quality of life and fatigue findings are inconsistent. Nurses should assess physical status and pain more closely in female patients.
Key findings
01All five studies examining physical functioning found women had lower scores than men, providing strong evidence for this sex difference.
02Women reported greater symptom burden than men across four studies, including higher rates of pain, fatigue, and anxiety.
03Findings on overall quality of life and fatigue were inconclusive, with some studies showing no sex difference.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The review included only 11 studies, limiting the breadth of evidence. Different studies used different instruments to measure QOL and symptoms, making direct comparison difficult. The data were primarily limited to patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and lymphoma, with very few patients with acute leukemias. Confounding variables such as cancer stage and treatment type were not consistently controlled across studies. The terms 'sex' and 'gender' were used interchangeably, which may obscure biological versus social influences.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and non-U.S. government research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that all symptoms show a sex difference. While physical function and symptom burden were consistently higher in women, overall quality of life and fatigue results were inconclusive and varied by study. Applying a blanket 'women are worse off' rule to all outcomes may lead to misjudging individual patient needs.