Lei Cheng1, Fang Liu2, Sheng Feng3, Yingwen Wang4, Ying Gu2, Qiongfang Kang5. 1. School of Nursing, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. Electronic address: chengleis@126.com. 2. Nursing Department, Children's Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China. 3. Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Shanghai Children's Medical Center (SCMC) affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China. 4. Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Unit, Children's Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China. 5. Oncology Unit, Children's Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Abstract
CONTEXT: Children with cancer endure multiple symptoms during treatment. However, there remains a lack of systematic approaches to capture the whole picture of the symptom experience of children with cancer younger than eight years of age. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to conduct an integrative review to explore symptom experience of children with cancer younger than eight years of age. METHODS: A literature search of PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science, PsycINFO, Cochrane databases, and four Chinese databases was performed to identify empirical studies, followed by an evaluation of empirical quality and data extraction and synthesis. RESULTS: Twelve articles covering 11 symptoms met the inclusion criteria. Children with cancer under the age of eight years experienced multiple intense symptoms, especially pain, worry, and anxiety. PedsQL™ Cancer Module (for age five to seven years) was the most commonly used instruments. There were limited data on these children's symptom quality, timing, and distress. Discordance between a child's age and symptom intensity was noted. Inconsistent concordance existed between children and their proxy symptom reports. CONCLUSION: Children with cancer younger than eight years of age experience multiple symptoms. There is a need to investigate the full symptom profiles of these young children in consideration of their developmental nuances; to examine the concordance among different symptom reporters; and to conduct more qualitative studies to explore their symptom experience.
CONTEXT: Children with cancer endure multiple symptoms during treatment. However, there remains a lack of systematic approaches to capture the whole picture of the symptom experience of children with cancer younger than eight years of age. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to conduct an integrative review to explore symptom experience of children with cancer younger than eight years of age. METHODS: A literature search of PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science, PsycINFO, Cochrane databases, and four Chinese databases was performed to identify empirical studies, followed by an evaluation of empirical quality and data extraction and synthesis. RESULTS: Twelve articles covering 11 symptoms met the inclusion criteria. Children with cancer under the age of eight years experienced multiple intense symptoms, especially pain, worry, and anxiety. PedsQL™ Cancer Module (for age five to seven years) was the most commonly used instruments. There were limited data on these children's symptom quality, timing, and distress. Discordance between a child's age and symptom intensity was noted. Inconsistent concordance existed between children and their proxy symptom reports. CONCLUSION:Children with cancer younger than eight years of age experience multiple symptoms. There is a need to investigate the full symptom profiles of these young children in consideration of their developmental nuances; to examine the concordance among different symptom reporters; and to conduct more qualitative studies to explore their symptom experience.
Authors: Gomolemo Mahakwe; Ensa Johnson; Katarina Karlsson; Stefan Nilsson Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2021-02-16 Impact factor: 3.390
Authors: Anna Lewandowska; Barbara Zych; Katalin Papp; Dana Zrubcová; Helena Kadučáková; Mária Šupínová; Serap Ejder Apay; Małgorzata Nagórska Journal: Children (Basel) Date: 2021-12-10