Frailty and Sleep in Adult Survivors of Childhood Cancer: A Childhood Cancer Survivor Study Report

Background: Young adult survivors of childhood cancer exhibit rates of frailty similar to adults several decades older without a cancer history. Frailty has been associated with sleep disturbances in non-cancer populations, but the relationship has not been examined in childhood cancer survivors who are known to exhibit elevated rates of sleep problems. Aims: Examine associations between frailty and poor sleep quality in long-term survivors of childhood cancer. Methods: This study utilized data from 9044 participants (> 5 years from diagnosis, M = 40.8 years [SD = 9.5]) in the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study. Survivors' frailty status, chronic health conditions (CHC), health behaviors, mental health, and pain were collected in 2014–2016, and self-reported sleep quality in 2017–2019. Multivariable logistic regression models examined frailty status as a predictor of clinically significant poor sleep. All models were adjusted for age at diagnosis, age at survey, sex, race/ethnicity, smoking, risky/heavy alcohol use, and physical inactivity. Separate models included treatment-related variables, CHC burden (number/severity), and emotional health/pain as co-variates. Results: Frail survivors had 6-fold (95% CI 4.48–7.96) increased odds of future poor sleep quality. Little attenuation of this association was observed when accounting for cancer diagnosis (Odds Ratio [OR] 5.80, 95% CI 4.47–7.52), treatment exposures (OR 5.80, 95% CI 4.43–7.71), or chronic health condition burden (OR 5.12, 95% CI 3.98–6.59), but adjustment for emotional health/pain (OR 2.88, 95% CI 2.18–3.82) attenuated the association appreciably. Conclusions: Frail childhood cancer survivors have a higher prevalence of clinically significant poor sleep quality. Addressing poor physiologic reserve may impact sleep in frail childhood cancer survivors.