Cancer and its treatment impact sleep. Sleep disturbance and insomnia symptoms are some of the most common symptoms after a cancer diagnosis. Observational data show that sleep after cancer is linked with numerous outcomes including overall quality of life and progression-free survival. The emerging field of sleep oncology at the intersection of sleep medicine and oncology is advancing our understanding of the drivers of sleep after cancer and establishing evidence-based interventions to improve sleep.
This presentation will summarise epidemiological evidence on sleep after cancer, including prevalence of poor sleep and objective data on sleep. Consideration will be given to timing and trajectories as well as cancer type. Next, evidence from randomised controlled trials of interventions for sleep after cancer including our recent trials will be discussed. Pathways towards implementing evidence-based sleep interventions into routine oncology care will be considered. Where available, studies implementing interventions into health care services will be highlighted. Finally, gaps and future directions will be considered, with a particular focus on how sleep oncology can move towards a future where everyone with cancer can access sleep medicine.
Sleep is disrupted after a cancer diagnosis yet often under managed. Researchers addressing key gaps in knowledge, and clinical services implementing sleep medicine into routine care hold potential to support the lives of people with cancer.