title: Risk factors for lower health-related QoL after allogeneic stem cell transplantation in children.
abstract: To explore risk factors affecting HrQoL, we analyzed data from patients (n = 51) at least three yr beyond SCT and their parents (n = 41), who responded to the SCHQ, to a subjective symptom inventory and to a sense of coherence instrument, in parallel with a physician-rated scoring of late effects. Children with leukemia rated a lower HrQoL than children with non-malignant disease only in subscale RE, limitations in role socially because of the emotional difficulties (p < 0.05) but had more severe late effects (p < 0.05). Parents of children with leukemia rated their children's HrQoL overall lower in both the psychosocial area and physical area (p < 0.01) and the child's condition also had a greater impact on parents' emotional situation (p < 0.05), compared with parents of children with non-malignant diagnosis. The psychosocial HrQoL was more affected in recipients of an unrelated than of a sibling graft, according to both child (p < 0.01) and parent (p < 0.05). In the multiple regression analysis, however, late effects remained the only independent factor, contributing to low parental psychosocial (p < 0.05) and physical (p < 0.001) HrQoL ratings, while leukemia, unrelated donor and TBI did not. To conclude, parent-reported HrQoL was lower in SCT patients with leukemia, mainly due to a higher impact of late effects in this group.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Clintec, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden. catharina.lof@ki.se
authors.forename: Catharina M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Löf
authors.forename: Ulla
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Forinder
authors.forename: Jacek
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Winiarski
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D011184:Postoperative Period; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000601:surgery; D011788:Quality of Life; D012307:Risk Factors; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation; D017741:Survivors; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous