PurposeThe purpose of this study was to assess knowledge and perceptions of infertility, reproductive concerns, quality of life, and emotional burden of fertility concerns in adolescent female cancer survivors and their parents.MethodsA cross-sectional design was used to investigate reproductive knowledge and concerns among female childhood cancer survivors and their parents. The instruments administered at a single, routine visit were the 13-item knowledge instrument, Adolescent Fertility Values Clarification Tool (VCT), Impact of Event Scale (IES), and Pediatrics Quality of Life Assessment (PedsQL). The knowledge instrument was given to both patients and caregivers, while the PedsQL and VCT were given to only patients and IES only to caregivers.ResultsTwenty-six survivors and 23 parents completed evaluations. The mean age of survivors was 16. The mean knowledge instrument score for survivors was 9.5 (± 1.9) and 9.96 (± 1.7) for parents with a maximum possible score of 13. The VCT indicated almost all patients agreed or strongly agreed they would like more information on how their treatment may affect their fertility, with 84.6% identified wanting a baby in the future. The mean survivor PedsQL score was 67.7 (± 15.3). While parental IES scores as whole did not endorse symptoms of PTSD, 30% of our sample did fall within the range for PTSD.ConclusionAlthough this population of women has above average knowledge scores, they still demonstrated a desire for more information on reproduction after cancer therapy. While PedsQL scores fell within a normal range, survivors report infertility would cause negative emotions.Implication for cancer survivorsThis information can be used refine educational programs within survivorship clinics to improve knowledge of post-treatment reproductive health.

School performance in patients who have received therapy for childhood cancers has been studied in depth. Risk factors have historically included cranial radiation, intrathecal chemotherapy, and high doses of chemotherapy, including methotrexate and cytarabine. Leukemia and brain tumor survivors who receive such therapy have been the primary focus of this area of investigation. Extracranial solid tumor cancer patients lacking such risk factors have historically been expected to have normal school performance. We examined the medical records of 58 young pediatric extracranial solid tumor patients who lacked CNS-directed therapy or other known risk factors for cognitive impairment to evaluate the incidence of reported difficulties or abnormalities in neuropsychological testing. Thirty-one percent of patients were found to have at least one reported difficulty or abnormality. Of note, 34% of patients with Wilms tumor possessed difficulties compared to 23% of patients with other extracranial solid tumors. Extracranial solid tumor cancer survivors without known risk factors for school performance difficulties appear to have a higher incidence of problems than expected.

Objective To delineate the impact of treatment exposures and chronic health conditions on psychological, educational, and social outcomes in adolescent survivors of Wilms tumor. Methods Parent reports from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study were analyzed for 666 adolescent survivors of Wilms tumor and 698 adolescent siblings. Adjusting for race and household income, survivors were compared to siblings on the Behavior Problems Index and educational outcomes. Multivariable modified Poisson regression estimated relative risks (RR) for therapeutic exposures and chronic health conditions (CTCAE 4.03 graded) among survivors, adjusting for sex, race, income, and age at diagnosis. Results Compared to siblings, adolescent survivors of Wilms tumor were more likely to take psychoactive medication (9.4% vs. 5.1%, p < 0.001) and utilize special education services (25.5% vs. 12.6%, p < 0.001) but did not differ significantly in emotional and behavioral problems. Survivors were less likely to be friendless (7.2% vs. 10.1%, p = 0.04) but were more likely to have difficulty getting along with friends (14.5% vs. 7.8%, p < 0.001). Among survivors, use of special education services was associated with abdomen plus chest radiation (RR = 1.98, CI:1.18–3.34). Those with grade 2–4 cardiovascular conditions had higher risk for anxiety/depression (RR = 1.95, CI:1.19–3.19), headstrong behaviors (RR = 1.91, CI:1.26–2.89), and inattention (RR = 1.56, CI:1.02–2.40). Conclusions Adolescent survivors of Wilms tumor were similar to siblings with respect to mental health concerns overall but were more likely to require special education. Monitoring of psychosocial and academic problems through adolescence is warranted, especially among those treated with radiation to the abdomen plus chest or with cardiac conditions.

Children treated for cancer are exposed to a variety of chemotherapeutic agents with known toxicity to the peripheral nervous system. The side effect of peripheral neuropathy can cause changes in sensation, function, and even cause pain. Although peripheral neuropathy is recognized by pediatric oncology nurses as an important and significant side effect, measuring neuropathy can be quite complex for clinical care and research efforts. With more children surviving a cancer diagnosis today, this issue is increasingly important for childhood cancer survivors. This article has reviewed existing literature examining peripheral neuropathy in childhood cancer survivors with particular interest paid to measurement tools available and needs for future research. It is important for nurses to choose appropriate measures for clinical care and research methods in order to have an impact on patients experiencing this condition.

Objectives: Children with malignancies may be exposed to ototoxic therapies resulting in sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). There is no consensus as to when intervention with amplification is necessary due to a variety of factors such as disease status, speech and language development, perceived difficulty with communication, and limitations of technology to fit these challenging losses. The decision to proceed with amplification after cancer can be difficult for patients and families. The purpose of this study is (1) to understand the decision-making (DM) process of childhood cancer survivors (CCSs) with SNHL and their parents and (2) to identify their decisional needs. Design: Semi-structured interviews guided by the Ottawa’s decision support framework were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Inclusion criteria were CCSs ages 8 to 30 years old with a Chang grade >1b SNHL and off-therapy; parents of this group were also eligible. Patients with active disease were excluded. Prompts inquired of sources of decisional conflict, role in DM, and DM behaviors. Inductive content analysis of the narrative qualitative data was used. Results: Seven parents of CCSs and 6 CCSs participated. Themes in the CCS group included: (1) making sense of ototoxic SNHL; (2) desiring personalized education and treatment of SNHL; (3) playing an active role in the joint DM process; and (4) accepting hearing aids requires time and effort. The parent group shared the first and last theme with the CCS group and had two unique themes: (1) needing experts to respect the individual’s journey to SNHL acceptance and (2) moving past the cancer experience to acceptance. Parents more often framed their DM within the context of already experiencing the trauma of cancer, whereas CCSs did not. One parent said, “You see all the rubble and you’ve lived through the devastation of the storm, but now you got to figure out what’s broken.” CCSs expressed bodily concerns regarding amplification, such as discomfort to the ear and difficulty in adjusting to the volume. The following needs were identified: early, re-enforced education regarding late effects risks; open communication among providers, CCSs, and parents; and audiogram result interpretations in patient- and parent-friendly language. Conclusions: Understanding the DM process from the CCS and parent’s perspectives should be considered when providing counseling for hearing amplification in the setting of cancer-related SNHL. Earlier and consistent delivery of late effects education, open communication regarding risk for SNHL, and improved delivery of audiogram results should be targets for meeting unmet needs. These findings should inform the development of decision aids to reduce decisional conflict in this population.