John Wiley & Sons : What Are the Risk Factors for Experiencing Side Effects From Childhood Cancer Treatments?

Steroids are essential for treating children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a type of cancer of the blood and bone marrow, but they can cause severe side effects such as psychological reactions and sleep problems. An analysis of all relevant studies published to date indicates that there's insufficient high-quality research investigating the risk factors for these side effects.

The analysis, which is published in Psycho-Oncology, included 24 studies. The authors of the analysis noted that overall, there is little evidence regarding risk factors for steroid-induced psychological reactions and sleep problems in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and the quality of evidence is low. However, evidence suggests that the type and dose of steroids are not related to psychological reactions, but may be related to sleep problems. Younger patients seem at risk for behavioral problems and older patients for sleep problems.

'There is a lot to gain in the prevention and treatment of steroid-induced psychological and sleep problems, and recognition comes first,' said senior author Raphaële R.L. van Litsenburg, MD, PhD, of the Princess Máxima Center in The Netherlands. 'A standardized registration of these side effects and their risk factors is warranted for future studies.'

Additional Information

Link to Study: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pon.5654

About Journal

Psycho-Oncology is concerned with the psychological, social, behavioral, and ethical aspects of cancer. This subspeciality addresses the two major psychological dimensions of cancer: the psychological responses of patients to cancer at all stages of the disease, and that of their families and caretakers; and the psychological, behavioral and social factors that may influence the disease process. Psycho-oncology is an area of multi-disciplinary interest and has boundaries with the major specialities in oncology: the clinical disciplines (surgery, medicine, pediatrics, radiotherapy), epidemiology, immunology, endocrinology, biology, pathology, bioethics, palliative care, rehabilitation medicine, clinical trials research and decision making, as well as psychiatry and psychology.

About Wiley

Wiley drives the world forward with research and education. Through publishing, platforms and services, we help students, researchers, universities, and corporations to achieve their goals in an ever-changing world. For more than 200 years, we have delivered consistent performance to all of our stakeholders. The Company's website can be accessed at www.wiley.com.