Parents and caregivers of children with cancer are both resilient and deeply affected by the child's cancer. A systematic review of published research since 1995 identified 138 studies of moderate quality indicating that parent distress increases around diagnosis, then returns to normal levels. Posttraumatic symptoms are common. Distress may be impairing for vulnerable parents and may impact a child's coping and adjustment. Moderate quality evidence and expert consensus informed a strong recommendation for parents and caregivers to receive early and ongoing assessment of their mental health needs with access to appropriate interventions facilitated to optimize parent, child and family well-being.

Results partially support the utility of an integrated model including cancer-related stress, coping, and NA in identifying children at risk for internalizing symptoms during treatment. Additional research is needed to inform interventions for this population.

Purpose The purpose of this review was to synthesize current knowledge about anxiety among adolescent survivors of pediatric cancer and highlight areas for future research. Methods Systematic literature searches were conducted in five databases for articles published anytime before December 28, 2015. Manuscripts were reviewed by a team of six coders. Included manuscripts reported outcomes relevant to anxiety, worry, and posttraumatic stress in survivors of pediatric cancer (age at time of study: 10–22 years) who were off-treatment. Results Twenty-five articles met inclusion criteria. Included results were categorized into the following domains: posttraumatic stress, anxiety, cancer-related worry, and interventions. With the exception of posttraumatic stress, there was little research about anxiety in this population; however, studies generally indicated that adolescent survivors of pediatric cancer are at elevated risk for anxiety, posttraumatic stress symptoms, and cancer-related worry. Conclusions This review provides preliminary evidence that anxiety is a relevant, but understudied, psychosocial outcome for adolescent survivors of pediatric cancer. More research is needed to better understand the presentation of anxiety in this population, its effect on survivors’ quality of life, and possible areas for intervention.

Background Due to the devastating late effects associated with cranial irradiation in young children with CNS tumors, treatment for these patients has evolved to include the use of intensive chemotherapy to either avoid or postpone irradiation. While survival outcomes have improved, late effects data in survivors treated on such regimens are needed. Objective This multi-institutional study comprehensively describes late effects in survivors treated on the Head Start I/II protocols. Methods Survivors of CNS tumors treated on Head Start I/II protocols were enrolled. Late effects data were collected using a validated parent-report questionnaire. Social, emotional, and behavioral functioning and quality of life were assessed using parent-report on the BASC-2 and CHQ-PF50 questionnaires. Results Twenty one survivors (medulloblastoma=13, sPNET=4, ATRT=1, ependymoma=3) were enrolled. Ten (48%) were irradiation-free. Late effects (frequency; median time of onset since diagnosis) included ≥ grade III hearing loss (67%; 3.9 years), vision (67%; 4.1 years), hypothyroidism (33%; 4 years), growth hormone (GH) deficiency (48%; 4.7 years) and dental (52%; 7.1 years) and no cases of secondary leukemia. Irradiation-free (versus irradiated) survivors reported low rates of hypothyroidism (0/10 vs 7/11; p=0.004) and GH deficiency (2/10 vs 8/11; p=0.03). The BASC-2 and CHQPF-50 mean composite scores were within average ranges relative to healthy comparison norms. Neither age at diagnosis nor irradiation were associated with these scores. Conclusions Irradiation-free Head Start survivors have lower risk of hypothyroidism and GH deficiency. Secondary leukemias are not reported. With extended follow up, survivors demonstrate quality of life, social, emotional, and behavioral functioning within average ranges.