Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40506645›Full record

ArticleSupportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer2025

Intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and cancer symptom reporting: a matched retrospective cohort study.

Rachel Giblon, Alyson Mahar, Julie Hallet, Christine Kelly, Natalie Coburn, Shahin Shooshtari, Rinku Sutradhar

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Article in Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

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0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

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PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Rachel GiblonDivision of Biostatistics, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0007-0110-8557
Alyson MaharICES, Toronto, ON, Canada. alyson.mahar@queensu.ca.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6862-3760
Julie HalletICES, Toronto, ON, Canada.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5108-1072
Christine KellyDepartment of Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3316-3258
Natalie CoburnICES, Toronto, ON, Canada.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5313-717X
Shahin ShooshtariDepartment of Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5247-2403
Rinku SutradharDivision of Biostatistics, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0320-6042

Funding

Canadian Cancer Society 707149CIHR 162130
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeSymptom assessment is key to managing symptom burden following a cancer diagnosis. Adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD) experience worse outcomes from cancer; disparities may also exist in routine cancer symptom screening. This study investigated whether differences exist in routine cancer symptom assessment between people with and without IDD in a public healthcare system.

methodsWe conducted a matched retrospective cohort study of adults in Ontario, Canada, with and without IDD who received a cancer diagnosis between 2010 and 2019 using administrative health data. Among people with cancer, those with IDD were hard-matched 1:5 to those without IDD on age at diagnosis, sex, diagnosis year, cancer type and regional cancer centre registration. Cumulative incidence of first symptom assessment accounting for death as a competing risk was estimated. Sub-distribution and cause-specific hazards models were used. Effect modification by age, sex and cancer stage was investigated.

resultsA total of 1545 people with IDD were matched to 7725 people without IDD. Individuals with IDD experienced a lower incidence of cancer symptom assessment (1-year probability: 0.62 vs. 0.77) and lower rates of symptom assessment (sub-distribution HR: 0.63, 95% CI: 0.59, 0.67; cause-specific HR: 0.69, 95% CI: 0.65, 0.73) relative to those without IDD. Results were most pronounced for those in advanced cancer stages.

conclusionAmong persons with cancer, the incidence of symptom assessment is lower for individuals with IDD compared to those without; the magnitude of these findings varied across cancer stages. These findings may indicate systemic barriers to equitable healthcare access for people with cancer and IDD.

Indexed as

Developmental DisabilitiesIntellectual DisabilityNeoplasmsSymptom AssessmentAdultAgedCohort StudiesFemaleHumansIncidenceMaleMiddle AgedOntarioRetrospective StudiesYoung AdultCancerEdmonton symptom assessment systemHealthcare disparitiesIntellectual and/or developmental disabilitiesPopulation-based study

Identifiers

PMID40506645

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.