Symptom Clusters in Pediatric Oncology Patients

描述（由申请人提供）：症状群对成人肿瘤患者的患病率和影响是症状管理研究的一个新领域。然而，在文献中仅发现一项初步研究试图评价儿科肿瘤患者中症状簇的发生率。因此，这项试点研究的具体目标是，以正在接受化疗（CTX）的10至18岁儿科肿瘤患者为样本：（1）确定急性发生的单一症状的患病率、严重程度、频率和痛苦（即，治疗后1周，在最低点（即，治疗后2周）和恢复期间（即，治疗后3周）;（2）鉴定急性发生的症状群的数量和类型（即，治疗后1周，在最低点（即，治疗后2周）和恢复期间（即，治疗后3周）;（3）确定在一个CTX周期的过程中症状群的数量和类型是否改变;和（4）确定在每个时间点，在针对目标1和2的分析中识别的症状和症状群评分的数量与儿童报告的QOL评分之间的关联。将从两所大学医学中心的儿科肿瘤诊所招募至少接受第二周期强化CTX治疗的儿童（n=110）。在父母同意和儿童同意后，将要求儿童（10至18岁）完成记忆症状评估量表10-18以及通用和疾病特异性生活质量量表。在一个CTX周期内将完成总共3项评估。数据分析将确定与单一和多种症状相关的频率，严重程度和痛苦，以及接受CTX治疗癌症的儿童中出现的症状群的数量和类型。本研究的结果将用于设计儿科肿瘤患者单一和多种症状的干预研究。 最近的研究结果表明，成人肿瘤患者同时出现多种症状，这些症状可能发生在被称为症状群的群体中。关于儿科肿瘤患者同时出现多种症状或症状群的信息很少。这项研究将为接受癌症化疗的儿童提供有关多种症状和症状群的新信息。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The prevalence and impact of symptom clusters on adult oncology patients is a new area in symptom management research. However, only one pilot study was found in the literature that attempted to evaluate the occurrence of symptom clusters in PEDIATRIC oncology patients. Therefore, the specific aims of this pilot study, in a sample of pediatric oncology patients, ages 10 to 18, who are undergoing chemotherapy (CTX) are to: (1) identify the prevalence, severity, frequency, and distress of single symptoms that occur acutely (i.e., 1 week post treatment, at nadir (i.e., 2 weeks post treatment), and during recovery (i.e., 3 weeks post treatment); (2) identify the number and types of symptom clusters that occur acutely (i.e., 1 week post treatment, at nadir (i.e., 2 weeks post treatment), and during recovery (i.e., 3 weeks post treatment); (3) to determine if the number and types of symptom clusters change over the course of one cycle of CTX; and (4) to determine, at each time point, the association between the number of symptoms and symptom cluster scores identified in the analyses for Aims 1 and 2 with children s reported QOL scores. Children (n=110) who are about to undergo at least their second cycle of intensive CTX will be recruited from the pediatric oncology clinics at two university medical centers. Following parental consent and child assent, children (aged 10 to 18) will be asked to complete the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale 10-18 and generic and disease specific quality of life inventories. A total of three assessments will be completed over the course of one cycle of CTX. Data analyses will determine the frequency, severity and distress associated with single and multiple symptoms as well as the number and types of symptom clusters that occur in children who receive CTX for the treatment of cancer. Findings from this study will be used to design intervention studies for single and multiple symptoms in pediatric oncology patients. Recent findings suggest that adult oncology patients experience multiple symptoms simultaneously and that these symptoms may occur in groups that are called symptom clusters. Little information is available on the co- occurrence of multiple symptoms or symptom clusters in pediatric oncology patients. The research study will provide new information on multiple symptoms and symptom clusters in children who receive chemotherapy for cancer.