Parents Of Cancer Patients Research Articles

Adult cancer patients and parents of younger cancer patients have little information about fertility preservation: a survey of knowledge and attitude

BackgroundImpaired fertility is one of the side effects of effective cancer therapy. Saving the potential or storing the material to enable people to have biological children after cancer treatment can be of high importance to many cancer survivors. Therefore, we designed a study to determine knowledge and attitudes to fertility preservation (FP) in adult cancer patients and the parents of patients with cancer. Participants who completed this survey were a convenience sample of 384 parents of cancer patients < 18 years and cancer patients ≥ 18 years from two large referral hospitals. A 25-item self-administered questionnaire measured knowledge and attitudes to FP. Responses were yes/no, or on a 4-point Likert scale (greatly, usually, rarely, never) scored from 1 for never to 4 for greatly.ResultsMost parents and most cancer patients were unaware of the FP methods of embryo cryopreservation (96.3% and 88.4%, respectively) and sperm cryopreservation (97.5% and 89.0%, respectively). Attitudes among cancer patients and parents to use of FP options, based on a 4-point Likert scale, were determined by financial cost, lack of access and information on FP options.ConclusionOf concern in this sample of Iranian adult cancer patients and their parents is that knowledge of the fertility risk associated with cancer therapy and knowledge of FP treatment options was generally poor, particularly among the parents. To enable cancer patients or their parents to make the best decisions about using FP services, oncologists and fertility specialists should discuss FP options during their consultation.

Mental health needs among parents of children with cancer: A commercial claims data analysis.

e18722 Background: Caring for a child diagnosed with cancer may adversely affect mental health (MH) of parents. However, little is known about MH care needs among parents of pediatric cancer patients. This study examined the patterns of MH care for parents of children diagnosed with cancer, as compared to parents of children without cancer. Methods: We used MarketScan® Commercial Database to identify continuously-insured parents of children receiving therapy for leukemia, lymphoma, central nervous system, bone, or gonadal cancers (aged ≤21 years at diagnosis) in 2009-2017. We also identified parents who matched eligibility criteria but had no child with cancer (with a randomly-assigned, fictitious date of cancer diagnosis) as controls. Outcomes included parents’ visits related to a MH disorder (anxiety, depression, substance use disorder [SUD], post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD]) during six months before to 12 months after their child’s cancer diagnosis. Multivariable regressions were estimated to compare MH visits between 9,870 parents of pediatric cancer patients and 3,396,097 parents in the control group, adjusting for sociodemographic factors (parents’ age and sex, rurality, region, number of children in household) and presence of MH history. Among parents of pediatric cancer patients, we explored sociodemographic factors, MH history, and clinical factors (children’s cancer types, age at diagnosis, therapeutic modalities) associated with MH-related visits in multivariable regression analyses. Results: While the likelihood of MH history was similar between the two groups, a higher proportion of parents caring for cancer patients than controls had any visits related to anxiety (13.1%% vs. 9.5%), depression (9.6% vs. 7.5%), PTSD (0.5% vs. 0.4%), or any MH disorders (22.0% vs. 17.6%). These differences persisted in adjusted analyses. For example, parents of cancer patients were 24%, 37%, and 27% ( p-values &lt; 0.001) more likely than controls to have any MH visits, anxiety-related visits, and depression-related visits, respectively. No difference was observed in SUD-related visits. Among MH care utilizers, no significant difference was observed in the number of MH visits. Among parents of cancer patients, those with MH history, mothers (vs. fathers), and parents of children with bone cancer (vs. leukemia) were more likely to have any MH visits ( p-values &lt; 0.05). Parents whose children received surgery only and those with ≥3 children in household were less likely to have any MH visits ( p-values &lt; 0.05). Conclusions: Parents of pediatric cancer patients have significantly higher needs for MH care as compared to the general parent population. Our finding underlines the importance of future interventions toward targeted MH counseling and supportive strategies for vulnerable parent groups, such as mothers and those caring for children undergoing more complex treatment plans.

Preoperative Nursing Care to Reduce Anxiety of Parent from Cancer Patient in Paediatric Surgical Ward

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Objective: &lt;/strong&gt;Cancer or malignant tumors are one of the most experienced diseases in the world. The therapy to treat cancer requires a comprehensive examination, one of which is by doing a biopsy. Biopsy is a procedure that can cause anxiety in parents of children with cancer. One of the way to reduce anxiety in parents of children with cancer is to do preoperative education. The purpose of study was to determine the effects of preoperative education on anxiety in parents of cancer patients.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods: &lt;/strong&gt;This was a case study of preoperative care to reduce anxiety of parents whose child has cancer and will undergo a surgery. The intervention included anticipatory guidance and preoperative education. Anticipatory guidance was given by actively listening to parents and child’s concerns and assist them to learn deep breathing relaxation techniques, and distraction. The preoperative education was given using a flipchart containing information pertaining to the location and time of surgery, preoperative preparation, surgical procedures, and postoperative care.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results: &lt;/strong&gt;Parents’ anxiety declined from the score of 7 to 3. She also expressed the feeling of relieved. She looked calmer, focused and made eye contact. &lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusion: &lt;/strong&gt;Patient education along with anticipatory guidance needs to be provided by nurses during preoperative stage to reduce both parents and patients’ anxiety.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="AbstractContent"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Key&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;words:&lt;/strong&gt; cancer, anxiety, parents, preoperative education&lt;/p&gt;

Persistently low peace of mind in parents of cancer patients: A five-year follow-up study.

Pediatric cancer affects the well-being of the entire family. Previously, our group found that 76% of parents experience low peace of mind after diagnosis. Herein, we present a five-year follow-up study of these same parents, aiming to determine whether low peace of mind persisted, and what baseline variables associate with persistently low peace of mind. Cross-sectional survey of parents of children with cancer between April 2004 and September 2005 within one year of diagnosis, and a follow-up questionnaire administered at least five years later. Sixty-six percent of parents whose children were living and who were able to be contacted completed follow-up questionnaires (91/138). Of these parents, 77% (70/91) were parents of disease-free survivors and 23% (21/91) had recurrent disease. The majority of parents (66%, 53/88) had low peace of mind five years after diagnosis, regardless of relapse status or prognosis. Additionally, 28% of parents of disease-free survivors reported being very/extremely worried about relapse (18/66), late toxicities (19/66), and late effects (19/66). Each worry was associated with low peace of mind (OR between 9.66 and 20.09 for each worry). In bivariable logistic regression, low peace of mind at five years was negatively associated with trusting the physician completely at baseline, with and without adjustment for relapse status (OR, 0.32; 95% CI, 0.12 to 0.87, P=0.032, adjusted for relapse). Most long-term studies and interventions have focused on parental bereavement. Our findings show that most parents are changed by pediatric cancer, even when children survive and the future is bright.

PO-0172 Behind Closed Doors: The Effects Of Childhood Cancer On Somatic Health Of Parents During And After Oncologic Therapy

Background Though surviving childhood cancer is a triumph for child and family, scars left on parents’ health may linger long after treatment has been concluded. Aim To analyse the impact of childhood cancer on somatic health of parents during treatment (DT: median 5.5 months) and after (AT: median 2 years). Methods Analysis of 70 questionnaires (45 DT, 25 AT) from parents of cancer patients, treated at the Department of Paediatrics, Oncology and Haematology, Medical University of Gdansk, Poland, since 2011. Results Over 60% in both groups reported feeling physically worse since diagnosis and constantly worrying about their child. Parents DT had increased caffeine, nicotine and alcohol consumption, weight changes and hypertension. Two parents DT admitted to suicidal attempts, one developed cancer. Dermatological signs, mainly hair loss, were common both DT and AT. Both groups had sleeping difficulties; however, more AT experienced nightmares (20% vs. 7% DT) and felt anxious and tired (60% vs. 33% DT). Headaches, problems concentrating and migraines prevailed AT (60%, 44% and 28% vs. 44%, 29% and 7% DT; respectively). Cardiologic symptoms (tachycardia, dyspnea), gastrointestinal (gastroesophageal reflux, diarrhoea) and joint/bone pains predominated AT. 28% of parents AT felt unhappy with their intimate relationship (vs. 9% DT). Only 20% of parents consulted with psychiatrist. Conclusion Diagnosis of paediatric cancer leaves devastating somatic sequelae in parents, affecting all systems and life activities. Interestingly, parents AT report somatic complications more often than those DT. Medical assistance should be promoted for parents of cancer children even after termination of oncologic therapy.

Chronic psychological stress and the regulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines: a glucocorticoid-resistance model.

This study examined whether chronic stress impairs the immune system's capacity to respond to hormonal signals that terminate inflammation. Fifty healthy adults were studied; half were parents of cancer patients, and half were parents of healthy children. Parents of cancer patients reported more psychological distress than parents of healthy children. They also had flatter diurnal slopes of cortisol secretion, primarily because of reduced output during the morning hours. There was also evidence that chronic stress impaired the immune system's response to anti-inflammatory signals: The capacity of a synthetic glucocorticoid hormone to suppress in vitro production of the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 was diminished among parents of cancer patients. Findings suggest a novel pathway by which chronic stress might alter the course of inflammatory disease.

Acute and long-term cytogenetic effects of treatment in childhood cancer sister-chromatid exchanges and chromosome aberrations

The incidence of chromosomal aberrations in banded karyotypes and of sister-chromatid exchanges (SCEs) was determined in the lymphocytes of survivors of childhood cancer as 2 parameters which are pertinent in assessing the genetic damage induced by chemotherapy. The proportion of cells with chromosome breakage or structural rearrangement-type aberration was 1 cell in 67 in a control group of 8 untreated cancer patients and 2 parents of cancer patients, 1 cell in 8 in 12 patients currently on therapy, and 1 cell in 50 in 17 patients sampled 6 months to 35 years post-treatment. The range of mean SCE levels per cell was 4.5–6.5 in the untreated cancer patients, 4.0–9.6 in non-cancer controls, 3.3–33.7 in patients on therapy, and 4.6–9.7 in post-therapy survivors. Considerable variability was observed between individuals with both SCE and breakage assays but therapy-induced increases in SCEs were not necessarily correlated with increased levels of aberrations arising from chromosomal breakage.

MMPI indicators of stress and marital discord among parents of children with chronic illness

Abstract The present study explored the emotional adjustment and marital relationships of parents of children with chronic, life-threatening illness. The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) was completed by 42 fathers and 71 mothers of pediatric cancer patients and 26 fathers and 29 mothers of hemophilic children. Their MMPI profiles were examined for signs of emotional disturbance (i.e., number of T scores of 70 or higher on the clinical scales). Profiles of husband-and-wife pairs were analyzed for marital stress using the Arnold Sign Indicator (ASI). Results indicated that both groups of parents suffered more distress than a normal group but less than marriage counselees. Parents of cancer patients showed higher levels of stress than parents of hemophiliacs.