Educational outcomes in childhood cancer survivors: A Scotland-wide record-linkage study of 766,217 schoolchildren

Abstract

Background A cancer diagnosis during childhood greatly disrupts the lives of those affected, causing physical and psychological challenges. We aim to investigate educational outcomes among schoolchildren with a previous cancer diagnosis compared to their peers. Methods Individual records from four national education databases and three national health databases were linked to construct a cohort of all singleton schoolchildren born in Scotland attending Scottish local-authority schools between 2009–2013. Pupils previously diagnosed with any cancer, haematological cancers, and central nervous system (CNS) cancers, were compared to their unaffected peers with respect to five educational outcomes: special educational need (SEN), absenteeism, school exclusion, academic attainment, and unemployment. Analyses were adjusted for sociodemographic and maternity factors and chronic conditions. Results Of 766,217 pupils, 1,313 (0.17%) had a previous cancer diagnosis. Children with any cancer had increased odds of SEN (OR 3.26, 95% CI 2.86–3.71), absenteeism (IRR 1.82, 95% CI 1.70–1.94), and low attainment (OR 2.15, 95% CI 1.52–3.03) compared to their peers. Similar findings were observed for haematological (SEN OR 2.62, 95% CI 2.12–3.24; absenteeism IRR 2.04, 95% CI 1.85–2.25; low attainment OR 2.17, 95% CI 1.31–3.61) and CNS (SEN OR 6.44, 95% CI 4.91–8.46; absenteeism IRR 1.75, 95% CI 1.51–2.04; low attainment OR 3.33, 95% CI 1.52–7.30) cancers. Lower exclusions were observed among children with any cancer (IRR 0.51, 95% CI 0.31–0.83) and CNS cancer (IRR 0.20, 95% CI 0.06–0.61). No associations were observed with unemployment. Conclusions This study highlights the wider impacts of childhood cancer on educational outcomes. These children need to be supported, as poor educational outcomes can further impact later health.