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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Indian J Med Paediatr Oncol 2021; 42(06): 533-539
DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1740069
Original Article

A Retrospective Observational Study of Problems Faced by Children and Adolescents with Cancer: A 5-year Experience from a Pediatric Psycho-Oncology Service in India

Jayita Deodhar 
1   Department of Palliative Medicine, Tata Memorial Hospital, Homi Bhabha National Institute, Parel, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
,
Savita S. Goswami 
2   Psycho-oncology Unit, Tata Memorial Hospital, Dr. E. Borges Road, Parel, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
,
Lekhika N. Sonkusare
2   Psycho-oncology Unit, Tata Memorial Hospital, Dr. E. Borges Road, Parel, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
› Author Affiliations Funding None.
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Abstract

Introduction Psychological concerns are common in children and adolescents with cancer, for which they require referral to specialist services. There is a dearth of pediatric psycho-oncology services in India. There are limited studies on emotional and related distress in children.

Objectives To evaluate the types of problems and associated factors in children and adolescents with cancer referred to the pediatric psycho-oncology service in a tertiary care oncology center in India.

Materials and Methods A retrospective analysis of all referrals to the institution's pediatric psycho-oncology service over 5 years was performed. Patients newly referred to the service, up to 18 years of age, with a cancer diagnosis, on active disease-modifying treatment or supportive care or following up within 2 years of completion of treatment were included. Patients not on any disease-modifying treatment and receiving the best supportive care only were excluded as needs and problems would differ in this group. Patients whose medical records were incomplete were excluded too. Descriptive measures and tests of association were performed for analysis.

Results Of the 278 children referred to the service in 5 years, 66.5% were males. The average age was 11 years (standard deviation [SD]: 4.5). Most children had hematolymphoid cancers (58.2%). All reported problems were mainly emotional/behavioral (59%), physical health-related (21%), and academic (14%). Male children, referred from outpatient clinics and undergoing treatment with palliative intent, had more emotional problems, but these factors were not statistically significant.

Conclusion Children and adolescents with cancer had different problems, most commonly emotional/behavioral and physical health-related. Age, gender, and treatment intent were factors associated with emotional problems. Psychosocial care services for children and adolescents with cancer are necessary for low-resource settings.

Keywords

pediatric - psycho-oncology - children and adolescents - cancer - India

Authors' Contributions

The first and second authors contributed to the concept and design, conduct, data collection and analysis of the study, and manuscript preparation.


The third author contributed to the concept and design, and data collection of the study.


The paper has been read and approved by all the authors.


Presentation

This study has been presented as an oral presentation at the International Psycho-Oncology Society's Annual Congress in Hong Kong in 2018.


Supplementary Material



Publication History

Article published online:
30 December 2021

© 2021. Indian Society of Medical and Paediatric Oncology. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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