title: Adolescents' psychosocial health-related quality of life within 6 months after cancer treatment completion.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) may be affected by cure-directed therapy given to pediatric oncology patients. Identification of HRQOL risk/protective factors may facilitate the development of clinical interventions.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The study purpose was to assess adolescents' psychosocial HRQOL soon after treatment completion using patient-reported outcome measures.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects were recruited from May 2005 to February 2007 to participate in a structured interview that collected information on demographics, symptoms, HRQOL (PedsQL 4.0), and coping (Adolescent Coping Orientation for Problem Strategies Questionnaire). Disease/treatment information was abstracted from medical records. Data analysis included descriptive approaches for data summarization and regression modeling for estimation and testing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 94 participants were included in the analyses. Their mean psychosocial functioning summary scores fell between the means reported for healthy children and children with cancer; 18% were more than 1 standard deviation below the mean. In the univariate analyses, lower psychosocial HRQOL was associated with central nervous system tumors (P = .01), radiation therapy (P = .01), and treatment duration of 13 to 24 months (P < .01). Protective factors identified in multivariable analyses included older age and use of humor for coping; risk factors included symptoms of pain, fatigue, and posttraumatic stress.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although most patients rated their psychosocial HRQOL as good, a subset (18%) may have increased risk for impaired HRQOL.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Clinical assessment of psychosocial HRQOL using patient-reported outcome measures during the early posttreatment phase is recommended. Longitudinal studies are needed to further explore risk/protective factors and to identify targeted interventions to minimize the adverse psychosocial effects of cancer treatment and maximize healthy survivorship.
authors: Division of Hematology-Oncology, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, CA, USA. kruccione@chla.usc.edu
authors: Kathleen
authors: K
authors: Ruccione
authors: Yani
authors: Y
authors: Lu
authors: Kathleen
authors: K
authors: Meeske
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002140:California; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000451:nursing* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D011788:Quality of Life; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors