2508 - Factors Associated with Prostate Cancer Survivors' Engagement in the Community, Results from a Population-Based Cohort

Purpose/Objective(s): Prostate cancer survivors often seek and provide social support within their communities, influencing treatment perceptions and decision making. This study examines the key factors associated with their engagement in cancer survivor communities.

Materials/Methods: The North Carolina Prostate Cancer Comparative Effectiveness & Survivorship Study (NC ProCESS) is a population-based cohort of patients with newly diagnosed prostate cancer enrolled from 2011 to 2013 and followed prospectively. Patients were enrolled through collaboration with the NC state cancer registry from throughout the state. Long-term survivors at 7-10 years after diagnosis completed the Cancer Survivors’ Unmet Needs (CaSUN) and 3 Social Influencer (SOCINF) surveys, which assesses for social engagement including patient’s self-identification as an advocate, sharing experiences with friends and family, and sharing experience with other cancer survivors. Answering affirmative to any of the 3 questions was graded as positive. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify factors that were significantly associated with engagement in cancer survivor communities (SOCINF Yes).

Results: This was a sociodemographically diverse cohort with a nearly even split between those above and below 65 years. It includes 21.5% black participants and a range of educational backgrounds. Household income varies widely, and employment status is approximately evenly divided. Additionally, both urban (79.2%) and rural (20.8%) residents are represented. 490 subjects completed the SOCINF survey, and 15.3% reported positive social engagement. Older age at diagnosis and higher-risk disease were not associated with more social engagement, while more unmet needs and living in rural areas were associated with lower engagement (Table).

Conclusion: Social engagement among cancer survivors is associated with their survivorship needs. Enhancing survivors’ social engagement may help these patients to address unmet needs.