A pilot study of the effect of a home-based multimodal symptom-management program in children and adolescents undergoing chemotherapy.

Background: Prevalent symptoms that affect children and adolescents throughout the process of cancer diagnosis and treatment include nausea and vomiting, fatigue, pain, mucositis, and anxiety.

Aim: To examine the effect of a home-based multimodal symptom-management program for alleviation of nausea and vomiting, fatigue, pain, mucositis, and anxiety in children and adolescents undergoing chemotherapy for hematological malignancies or solid tumors.

Methods: In an exploratory pilot randomized study with qualitative interview, patients between 10 and 18 years of age were randomly assigned to either the symptom-management program plus usual care (intervention group) or usual care (control group).