BACKGROUND: Fatigue is a major problem in children with cancer. The objective was to examine the feasibility of performing a clinical trial of homeopathic treatment for fatigue in children receiving chemotherapy. MATERIALS: This was a single-institution, open-label, pilot study. Children 2 to 18 years old, diagnosed with cancer, and receiving chemotherapy were eligible. Participants were given individualized homeopathic treatment for a maximum of 14 days. In-home or clinic assessments were conducted up to 3 times weekly. Feasibility was defined as the ability to recruit and administer homeopathy to 10 participants within 1 year. Fatigue was measured using the Symptom Distress Scale daily and the PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Module weekly. RESULTS: Between April 2012 and April 2014, 155 potential participants were identified. There were 45 eligible and contacted patients; 36 declined participation, 30 because they were not interested; 9 agreed to participate, but 1 participant withdrew prior to treatment initiation. Median length of homeopathic treatment was 10.5 (range = 6 to 14) days. All parents found homeopathic treatment to be easy or very easy to follow. CONCLUSIONS: Trials of individualized homeopathy for fatigue reduction in pediatric cancer are not feasible in this context; lack of interest was a primary reason. Alternative approaches to evaluating homeopathy efficacy are needed.
BACKGROUND:Fatigue is a major problem in children with cancer. The objective was to examine the feasibility of performing a clinical trial of homeopathic treatment for fatigue in children receiving chemotherapy. MATERIALS: This was a single-institution, open-label, pilot study. Children 2 to 18 years old, diagnosed with cancer, and receiving chemotherapy were eligible. Participants were given individualized homeopathic treatment for a maximum of 14 days. In-home or clinic assessments were conducted up to 3 times weekly. Feasibility was defined as the ability to recruit and administer homeopathy to 10 participants within 1 year. Fatigue was measured using the Symptom Distress Scale daily and the PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Module weekly. RESULTS: Between April 2012 and April 2014, 155 potential participants were identified. There were 45 eligible and contacted patients; 36 declined participation, 30 because they were not interested; 9 agreed to participate, but 1 participant withdrew prior to treatment initiation. Median length of homeopathic treatment was 10.5 (range = 6 to 14) days. All parents found homeopathic treatment to be easy or very easy to follow. CONCLUSIONS: Trials of individualized homeopathy for fatigue reduction in pediatric cancer are not feasible in this context; lack of interest was a primary reason. Alternative approaches to evaluating homeopathy efficacy are needed.
Authors: Heiner Frei; Regula Everts; Klaus von Ammon; Franz Kaufmann; Daniel Walther; Shu-Fang Hsu-Schmitz; Marco Collenberg; Katharina Fuhrer; Ralph Hassink; Maja Steinlin; André Thurneysen Journal: Eur J Pediatr Date: 2005-07-27 Impact factor: 3.183
Authors: K O Anderson; S A Giralt; T R Mendoza; J O Brown; J L Neumann; G M Mobley; X S Wang; C S Cleeland Journal: Bone Marrow Transplant Date: 2007-04-16 Impact factor: 5.483
Authors: Elaine Weatherley-Jones; Jon P Nicholl; Kate J Thomas; Gareth J Parry; Michael W McKendrick; Stephen T Green; Philip J Stanley; Sean P J Lynch Journal: J Psychosom Res Date: 2004-02 Impact factor: 3.006
Authors: Luis C Lopes-Júnior; Gabriela Pereira-da-Silva; Denise S C Silveira; Luciana C Veronez; Jéssica C Santos; Jonas B Alonso; Regina A G Lima Journal: Integr Cancer Ther Date: 2018-06-14 Impact factor: 3.279