Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer globally, comprising 11% of all cancer diagnoses. In Australia, the age-standardised incidence rate of CRC places it third among all cancers. In 2009-2013, individuals diagnosed with CRC in Australia had a 69% chance of surviving for 5 years. At the end of 2012, there were around two million people living with CRC in Australia.

 

CRC and its treatments can lead to a range of adverse person-centred outcomes. Increased cancer survival underscores the relevance of longer-term health care outcomes of survivors, including physical and psychological wellbeing after diagnosis. Currently, there is a lack of large-scale reliable evidence on physical functional limitations and psychological distress over time in relation to CRC and its clinical characteristics, particularly for long-term CRC survivors.

 

My thesis aimed to improve the understanding of the following four aspects: 1) prevalence of physical disability and psychological distress in relation to CRC; 2) change in physical and psychological outcomes over time in relation to CRC; 3) role of comorbidities in the relationship between CRC and person-centred outcomes; 4) consideration of impact of loss to follow-up.

 

This presentation will show the findings from my thesis and take you through a journey of getting to know physical and psychological outcomes in relation to CRC, step by step.

 

Yuehan (Joyce) Zhang is a PhD Candidate at the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health (NCEPH) within the Research School of Population Health. She is interested in quantitative research using big data. Joyce’s PhD focuses on using large-scale datasets, including the 45 and Up Study, to evaluate the relationship between colorectal cancer and the changes in person-centred outcomes of physical functional limitations and psychological distress.

 

Prior to commencing her PhD, Joyce was awarded a Bachelor degree in Mathematics and a Master’s degree in Statistics. During her Masters, she worked as a research assistant in the Data Mining Research Centre of Xiamen University in China.