Cancer and comparison group
The cancer survivor group in the ELSA cohort comprised all respondents who reported a new cancer diagnosis in waves 3 to 6. In the HRS cohort it comprised all respondents who reported a new cancer diagnosis in waves 3 to 10. A cancer diagnosis was defined as answering ‘yes’ to the question: ‘Have you ever been told by a doctor or other health professional that you had cancer or any other kind of malignancy’.