Cancer treatment causes circadian rhythm (24-hour biological rhythms) dysregulation in adults. Circadian activity rhythms (CAR), the rhythms of our daily movement, are a useful measure of our circadian rhythms. In adult cancer patients, dysregulated CAR is associated with greater fatigue, and decreased quality of life and responsiveness to therapy, and often continues during survivorship.
Principal Investigator Name:
Valerie E. Rogers, PhD
Project Title:
Circadian Rhythms, Fatigue and Bright Light Therapy in Adolescent Cancer Survivors
Despite advances in pediatric oncology treatments and technology, some children with cancer may die while receiving oncology treatments or from their disease. It has been reported that many children who die a cancer-related death may die while experiencing two to eight poorly controlled symptoms. Prevention of suffering, including effective symptom management, in children dying of cancer is a central value for clinicians in pediatric oncology.
Project Goal
Principal Investigator Name:
Kathleen Montgomery, PhD & Jennifer Madden, RN/MSN
Project Title:
Prospective Symptom Assessment in Children with Advanced Cancer
Symptom Burden, Health-Related Quality of Life and Health Care Utilization Among Children Undergoing Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation: Impact of Parent Sleep, Fatigue and Psychological Distress
Co-Investigator: Ulf Bronas, PhD, University of Minnesota
Background
During cancer treatment children are less active than their health peers. This inactivity persists into survivorship and can negatively affect health and quality of life. Physical activity may also improve fatigue, a prevalent and distressing symptom during treatment. Improving health behaviors during treatment can have lifelong benefits for cancer survivors.
Project Goal
Principal Investigator Name:
Mary Catherine (Casey) Hooke, PhD
Project Title:
KAM: Kids are Moving; An Exercise Program for Children with Cancer
Background Adolescents experiencing cancer are simultaneously developing their sexual identity. This area has been largely overlooked in nursing research. This study investigates the sexuality of adolescents experiencing cancer. Unique in this proposal is that adolescents will be the direct informants rather than just the population under investigation.
Background
An exploration of 'why' individual symptom differences occur is critical to understanding symptom experiences during childhood leukemia treatment; this will allow us to identify who may be most susceptible to treatment toxicities. This project explores why symptoms experienced in children with leukemia exhibit extreme variations in toxicity.
Principal Investigator Name:
Marilyn Hockenberry, RN, PhD
Project Title:
Nitrosative Stress And Symptom Severity During Childhood Leukemia Treatment
Chris loves baseball – he has a history of playing for his high school team and is a longtime fan of the San Francisco Giants. However, when he was in high school, Chris began having strange symptoms. Today, Chris is a three-time survivor of glioblastoma.
