Utilization of Photobiomodulation for the Prevention and Treatment of Oral Mucositis.

Oral mucositis is a significant and common toxicity experienced by patients who receive high-dose chemotherapy as a preparatory regimen for a hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT). Photobiomodulation (PBM) has been found to be feasible with significant efficacy in preventing the progression of oral mucositis in adult patients undergoing HCT. The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility and efficacy of PBM in pediatric oncology patients undergoing HCT.

Breastfeeding practices among childhood cancer survivors.

Purpose: This cross-sectional study compared breastfeeding outcomes among childhood cancer survivors to those of women in the general population and evaluated whether breastfeeding is adversely affected by cancer treatment or endocrine-related late effects.

Methods: A self-reported survey ascertained breastfeeding practices and incorporated items from the questionnaires used in the Infant Feeding Practices Study II (IFPS II) to allow comparison with the general population. Among 710 eligible survivors, 472 (66%) responded.

Reducing Compassion Fatigue in Inpatient Pediatric Oncology Nurses.

Objectives: To develop an evidence-based compassion fatigue program and evaluate its impact on nurse-reported burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and compassion satisfaction, as well as correlated factors of resilience and coping behaviors.

Sample & Setting: The quality improvement pilot program was conducted with 59 nurses on a 20-bed subspecialty pediatric oncology unit at the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.

Parent-child communication surrounding genetic testing for Li-Fraumeni syndrome: Living under the cloud of cancer.

Background: Advances in the application of genetic technologies reveal a growing number of heritable disorders associated with an increased risk to develop cancer during childhood. As genetic testing is increasingly employed in the clinical setting, it is essential to understand whether parents communicate with their children about test results and to elucidate the factors that influence the content and outcomes of these conversations.

Methods: Semistructured interviews were conducted with 14 parents whose children tested positive for Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS).

Factors supporting cardiomyopathy screening among at-risk adult survivors of pediatric malignancies.

Purpose: Anthracyclines and chest irradiation place adult survivors of childhood cancer at risk of cardiomyopathy; many survivors do not obtain the recommended screening. Based on our recent clinical trial, the addition of telephone counseling to a printed survivorship care plan more than doubled survivors' risk-based screening. Here, we sought to measure the impact of specific factors targeted in the intervention for their impact on survivors' screening participation.

Increasing cardiomyopathy screening in at-risk adult survivors of pediatric malignancies: a randomized controlled trial.

Purpose: To determine whether the addition of advanced-practice nurse (APN) telephone counseling to a printed survivorship care plan (SCP) significantly increases the proportion of at-risk survivors who complete cardiomyopathy screening.

Patients And Methods: Survivors age ≥ 25 years participating in the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study who received cardiotoxic therapy and reported no history of cardiomyopathy screening in the previous 5 years were eligible for enrollment. The 472 participants (mean age, 40.

Noncancer-related mortality risks in adult survivors of pediatric malignancies: the childhood cancer survivor study.

Purpose: We sought to identify factors, other than cancer-related treatment and presence/severity of chronic health conditions, which may be associated with late mortality risk among adult survivors of pediatric malignancies.

Methods: Using the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study cohort and a case-control design, 445 participants who died from causes other than cancer recurrence/progression or non-health-related events were compared with 7,162 surviving participants matched for primary diagnosis, age at baseline questionnaire, time from diagnosis to baseline questionnaire, and time at-risk. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for overall/cause-specific mortality.

Investigating the relationship between COMT polymorphisms and working memory performance among childhood brain tumor survivors.

Background: Survivors of childhood brain tumors are at increased risk for neurocognitive impairments, including deficits in abilities supported by frontal brain regions. Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) metabolizes dopamine in the prefrontal cortex, with the Met allele resulting in greater dopamine availability and better performance on frontally mediated tasks compared to the Val allele. Given the importance of identifying resiliency factors against the emergence of cognitive late effects, the current study examined the relationship between COMT genotype and working memory performance among childhood brain tumor survivors.

Protective effects of breastfeeding for mothers surviving childhood cancer.

Introduction: Female childhood cancer survivors experience adverse health events secondary to cancer treatment. In healthy women, breastfeeding provides protection against many of these complications. Breastfeeding may be beneficial for mothers surviving childhood cancer by decreasing risks of, or ameliorating adverse late effects.

Long-term efficacy of methylphenidate in enhancing attention regulation, social skills, and academic abilities of childhood cancer survivors.

Purpose: Methylphenidate (MPH) ameliorates attention problems experienced by some cancer survivors in the short term, but its long-term efficacy is unproven.

Patients And Methods: This study investigates the long-term effectiveness of maintenance doses of MPH in survivors of childhood brain tumors (n = 35) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (n = 33) participating in a 12-month MPH trial. Measures of attention (Conners' Continuous Performance Test [CPT], Conners' Rating Scales [CRS]), academic abilities (Wechsler Individual Achievement Test [WIAT]), social skills (Social Skills Rating System [SSRS]), and behavioral problems (Child Behavior Checklist [CBCL]) were administered at premedication baseline and at the end of the MPH trial while on medication.

Side effects of methylphenidate in childhood cancer survivors: a randomized placebo-controlled trial.

Objectives: To investigate the frequency and severity of side effects of methylphenidate among childhood survivors of acute lymphoblastic leukemia and brain tumors and identify predictors of higher adverse effect levels.

Methods: Childhood cancer survivors (N = 103) identified as having attention and learning problems completed a randomized, double-blind, 3-week, home-crossover trial of placebo, low-dose methylphenidate (0.3 mg/kg; 10 mg twice daily maximum) and moderate-dose methylphenidate (0.