L Kelada1, C E Wakefield2, L C Heathcote3, T Jaaniste4, C Signorelli2, J E Fardell2, M Donoghoe5, M C McCarthy6, M Gabriel7, R J Cohn2. 1. School of Women's and Children's Health, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, Australia; Kids Cancer Centre, Sydney Children's Hospital, High Street, Randwick, Australia. Electronic address: l.kelada@unsw.edu.au. 2. School of Women's and Children's Health, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, Australia; Kids Cancer Centre, Sydney Children's Hospital, High Street, Randwick, Australia. 3. Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Stanford University Medical School, Palo Alto, USA. 4. School of Women's and Children's Health, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, Australia; Department of Pain & Palliative Care, Sydney Children's Hospital, High Street, Randwick, Australia. 5. School of Women's and Children's Health, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, Australia; Stats Central, Mark Wainwright Analytical Centre, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, Australia. 6. Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia; Children's Cancer Centre, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia. 7. Cancer Centre for Children, The Children's Hospital, Westmead, Australia.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Pain and fatigue are under-researched late effects of childhood cancer and its treatment, and may be interpreted by survivors as indicating cancer recurrence. Moreover, unmet information needs for managing pain and fatigue may be related to fear of cancer recurrence. We investigated the complex relationships between perceived cancer-related pain and fatigue, unmet information needs for managing pain and fatigue, and fear of cancer recurrence. METHODS: We surveyed 404 adult survivors of any form of childhood cancer (M = 16.82 years since treatment completion). RESULTS: Many survivors reported perceived cancer-related pain (28.7%) and fatigue (40.3%), and anticipated future pain (19.3%) and fatigue (26.2%). These symptomologies were all related to unmet information needs for managing pain (18.8%) and fatigue (32.2%; all p's<.001). Survivors reporting unmet information needs for managing pain (B = .48, 95% CI = 0.19-0.76, p = .001) and fatigue (B = .32, 95% CI = 0.06-0.52, p = .015) reported higher fear of cancer recurrence than survivors reporting no information needs. CONCLUSION: Survivors often have unmet information needs for managing pain and fatigue, and these unmet needs are related to fear of cancer recurrence. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Long-term follow-up clinics should assess pain and fatigue. Information provision about pain and fatigue may be an important tool to help manage fear of cancer recurrence.
OBJECTIVE:Pain and fatigue are under-researched late effects of childhood cancer and its treatment, and may be interpreted by survivors as indicating cancer recurrence. Moreover, unmet information needs for managing pain and fatigue may be related to fear of cancer recurrence. We investigated the complex relationships between perceived cancer-related pain and fatigue, unmet information needs for managing pain and fatigue, and fear of cancer recurrence. METHODS: We surveyed 404 adult survivors of any form of childhood cancer (M = 16.82 years since treatment completion). RESULTS: Many survivors reported perceived cancer-related pain (28.7%) and fatigue (40.3%), and anticipated future pain (19.3%) and fatigue (26.2%). These symptomologies were all related to unmet information needs for managing pain (18.8%) and fatigue (32.2%; all p's<.001). Survivors reporting unmet information needs for managing pain (B = .48, 95% CI = 0.19-0.76, p = .001) and fatigue (B = .32, 95% CI = 0.06-0.52, p = .015) reported higher fear of cancer recurrence than survivors reporting no information needs. CONCLUSION: Survivors often have unmet information needs for managing pain and fatigue, and these unmet needs are related to fear of cancer recurrence. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Long-term follow-up clinics should assess pain and fatigue. Information provision about pain and fatigue may be an important tool to help manage fear of cancer recurrence.
Authors: K Brooke Russell; Michaela Patton; Courtney Tromburg; Hailey Zwicker; Gregory M T Guilcher; Barry D Bultz; Fiona Schulte Journal: Support Care Cancer Date: 2021-10-31 Impact factor: 3.603
Authors: Fiona S M Schulte; Michaela Patton; Nicole M Alberts; Alicia Kunin-Batson; Barbara A Olson-Bullis; Caitlin Forbes; K Brooke Russell; Alexandra Neville; Lauren C Heathcote; Cynthia W Karlson; Nicole M Racine; Courtney Charnock; Matthew C Hocking; Pia Banerjee; Perri R Tutelman; Melanie Noel; Kevin R Krull Journal: Cancer Date: 2020-10-28 Impact factor: 6.860