Parents' Perceptions of Their Children's Cancer-Related Symptoms During Treatment A Prospective, Longitudinal Study

Context This article describes a comprehensive assessment of treatment-related symptoms in children aged 0-18 years undergoing cancer treatment from the perspective of their parents Objectives The aim was to describe which symptoms that, according to parents, cause most problems for children receiving cancer treatment and to explore whether there is a relationship between patents' ratings of their children's symptoms and their own post-traumatic stress at one week (T1), two months (T2), and four months (T3) after a child s cancer diagnosis Methods In total, 214 parents (107 mothers and 107 fathers) of 115 children answered a modified version of the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale 10-18 and the PTSD Checklist Civilian Version over the telephone at T1-T3 Results According to patents, the following symptom at cos cause the most problems for children undergoing cancer treatment emotional distress, fatigue, nutrition, and pain Pain is the most problematic area The prevalence of most symptoms and the symptom burden decreases over time Parents' ratings of their children's symptom but den and then own emotional distress, and mothers' and fathers' ratings of then child's symptom burden, are associated Parents of adolescents report a greater symptom but den for their child than the patents of the youngest children Conclusion The opinions of both the patient and the parent are important in pediatrics The results of this study can be used to guide health care professionals within pediatric oncology in their discussions of cancel treatment's adverse effects with patients and families Not only the expectations and potential interventions but also the sources of worry should be discussed J Pain Symptom Manage 2010,40 661-670 (C) 2010 US Cancel Pain Relief Committee Published by Elsevier Inc All rights reserved