Systematic adolescent-centered supportive care program is associated with improved psychological status, treatment adherence, and social adaptation in adolescents with thyroid cancer undergoing radioiodine-131 therapy: a retrospective before-after cohort study with historical controls

AI Summary

Adolescent-centred supportive care significantly reduced 6-month anxiety and depression scores (SAS, SDS) compared with routine care (adjusted P < 0.001).
Program improved treatment adherence, school/work resumption, and medical satisfaction (adjusted odds ratios 2.71, 2.35, and 2.01 respectively; FDR-P < 0.05).
Retrospective before-after cohort with IPTW sensitivity analyses supports feasibility; prospective multicentre randomised trials are required to establish causal efficacy.

TL;DR (AI Generated)

BACKGROUND: Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) undergoing radioiodine-131 (131I) therapy endure unique developmental and psychosocial challenges, yet evidence for adolescent-tailored supportive interventions remains scarce.

This retrospective before-after cohort program is associated with improvements in psychological distress, treatment adherence, and social reintegration.

Basic summary

Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2026 Sep 10;17:1901279. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2026.1901279. eCollection 2026.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) undergoing radioiodine-131 (¹³¹I) therapy endure unique developmental and psychosocial challenges, yet evidence for adolescent-tailored supportive interventions remains scarce. This retrospective before-after cohort program is associated with improvements in psychological distress, treatment adherence, and social reintegration.

METHODS: We enrolled 220 eligible patients aged 13-25 years with DTC receiving¹³¹I therapy (2016-2024). The control group (n=85) received routine care, while the observation group (n=135) received a multi-component supportive care program. It included narrative medicine interviews, radiation education, fertility and career counseling, social adaptation training, and sustained follow-up. Primary outcomes were anxiety (SAS) and depression (SDS) scores. Secondary outcomes covered adherence, social adaptation, fertility cognition and satisfaction. Linear mixed-effects models analyzed repeated SAS/SDS data; propensity score inverse probability weighting(IPTW), multivariable regression and Benjamini-Hochberg FDR correction were applied to adjust confounders and handle multiple comparisons.

RESULTS: In linear mixed-effects models, the observation group exhibited significantly lower 6-month SAS and SDS scores (all adjusted P < 0.001).Significant group×time interactions for both scales demonstrated sustained psychological improvements. In multivariable logistic regression analyses adjusting for potential confounders, the observation group also achieved superior treatment adherence( aOR = 2.71 , 95 %CI : ( 1.52 – 4.83 ) , school/work resumption rates ( aOR = 2.35 , 95 % CI : 1.22 – 4.51 ) , and medical satisfaction ( aOR = 2.01 , 95 % CI : 1.11 – 3.64 ) ( allFDR – P < 0.05 ) .IPTW sensitivity analyses corroborated these findings. Exploratory subgroup analyses did not reveal consistent evidence of differential intervention effects across most subgroups.

CONCLUSION: A standardized adolescent-centered supportive care program was associated with persistent anxiety and depression relief, improved adherence and social reintegration among AYAs with DTC receiving ¹³¹I therapy. While these real-world findings support program feasibility, prospective multicenter randomized trials are required to confirm causal efficacy.

PMID:42787014 | PMC:PMC13600822 | DOI:10.3389/fendo.2026.1901279

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