Pain is a common symptom experienced by adolescents with cancer and often occurs outside of the hospital environment. Adolescents with cancer are in a unique developmental stage that may mean pain characteristics (for instance pain severity), the impact of pain, and pain treatment outcomes are different in adolescents compared to children and adults. This means that unique strategies are needed to solve the adolescent cancer pain problem.
The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) is Canada's leading centre dedicated to advancing children's health through the integration of patient care, research and education. The cancer program at SickKids is one of the largest in North America, with about 375 new cancer diagnoses each year. SickKids has a strong legacy of participation in early-phase childhood cancer clinical trials through the COG Phase I program.
Children and adolescents have told us that fatigue is one of the most distressing side effects related to their cancer treatment. They have described fatigue as a physical, mental and emotional tiredness that makes it difficult for them to participate in the activities they enjoy, to maintain their school performance and to keep up with social interactions. We have developed a combined sleep hygiene and relaxation intervention for children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) intended to improve sleep habits and sleep quality and to decrease their level of fatigue.
70% of children with cancer are cured with standard chemotherapy treatment however 30% will recur and eventually die of their disease. Therefore, there is a need to develop new drugs and this is an endeavour of the Children’s Oncology Group (COG) phase I consortium – a North American network of pediatric oncology institutions that conducts phase I/II clinical research. \
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.
The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) is Canada's leading centre dedicated to advancing children's health through the integration of patient care, research and education. The cancer program at SickKids is one of the largest in North America, with about 375 new cancer diagnoses each year. SickKids has a strong legacy of participation in early-phase childhood cancer clinical trials through the COG Phase I program.