Children Undergoing Radiotherapy : Swedish Parents' Experiences and Suggestions for Improvement

Approximately 300 children, from 0 to 18 years old, are diagnosed with cancer in Sweden every year. Of these children, 80-90 of them undergo radiotherapy treatment for their cancer. Although radiotherapy is an encounter with advanced technology, few studies have investigated the child's and the parent's view of the procedure. As part of an ongoing multi-center study aimed to improve patient preparation and the care environment in pediatric radiotherapy, this article reports the findings from interviews with parents at baseline. The aim of the present study was twofold: to describe parents' experience when their child undergoes radiotherapy treatment, and to report parents' suggestions for improvements during radiotherapy for their children. Sixteen mothers and sixteen fathers of children between 2-16 years old with various cancer diagnoses were interviewed. Data were analyzed using content analysis. The findings showed that cancer and treatment turns people's lives upside down, affecting the entire family. Further, the parents experience the child's suffering and must cope with intense feelings. Radiotherapy treatment includes preparation by skilled and empathetic staff. The parents gradually find that they can deal with the process; and lastly, parents have suggestions for improvements during the radiotherapy treatment. An overarching theme emerged: that despair gradually turns to a sense of security, with a sustained focus on and close interaction with the child. In conclusion, an extreme burden was experienced around the start of radiotherapy, though parents gradually coped with the process

It Is Tough and Tiring but It Works - Children's Experiences of Undergoing Radiotherapy

Approximately 300 children ages 0 to 18 are diagnosed with cancer in Sweden every year, and 80 to 90 of them undergo radiotherapy treatment. The aim was to describe children's experiences of preparing for and undergoing radiotherapy, and furthermore to describe children's suggestions for improvement. Thirteen children between the ages of 5 and 15 with various cancer diagnoses were interviewed. Data was analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The findings revealed five categories: positive and negative experiences with hospital stays and practical arrangements; age-appropriate information, communication, and guidance to various degrees; struggle with emotions; use of distraction and other suitable coping strategies; and children's suggestions for improvement during radiotherapy. An overarching theme emerged: "It is tough and tiring but it works". Some key areas were: explanatory visits, the need for information and communication, being afraid, discomfort and suffering, the need for media distraction, dealing with emotions, and the need for support. A systematic, family-centered preparation program could possible help families prepare and individualized distraction during radiotherapy could contribute to reducing distress. Further studies with interventions could clarify successful programs

Children Undergoing Radiotherapy : Swedish Parents' Experiences and Suggestions for Improvement

Approximately 300 children, from 0 to 18 years old, are diagnosed with cancer in Sweden every year. Of these children, 80-90 of them undergo radiotherapy treatment for their cancer. Although radiotherapy is an encounter with advanced technology, few studies have investigated the child's and the parent's view of the procedure. As part of an ongoing multi-center study aimed to improve patient preparation and the care environment in pediatric radiotherapy, this article reports the findings from interviews with parents at baseline. The aim of the present study was twofold: to describe parents' experience when their child undergoes radiotherapy treatment, and to report parents' suggestions for improvements during radiotherapy for their children. Sixteen mothers and sixteen fathers of children between 2-16 years old with various cancer diagnoses were interviewed. Data were analyzed using content analysis. The findings showed that cancer and treatment turns people's lives upside down, affecting the entire family. Further, the parents experience the child's suffering and must cope with intense feelings. Radiotherapy treatment includes preparation by skilled and empathetic staff. The parents gradually find that they can deal with the process; and lastly, parents have suggestions for improvements during the radiotherapy treatment. An overarching theme emerged: that despair gradually turns to a sense of security, with a sustained focus on and close interaction with the child. In conclusion, an extreme burden was experienced around the start of radiotherapy, though parents gradually coped with the process

Children Undergoing Radiotherapy : Swedish Parents' Experiences and Suggestions for Improvement.

Approximately 300 children, from 0 to 18 years old, are diagnosed with cancer in Sweden every year. Of these children, 80-90 of them undergo radiotherapy treatment for their cancer. Although radiotherapy is an encounter with advanced technology, few studies have investigated the child's and the parent's view of the procedure. As part of an ongoing multicenter study aimed to improve patient preparation and the care environment in pediatric radiotherapy, this article reports the findings from interviews with parents at baseline. The aim of the present study was twofold: to describe parents' experience when their child undergoes radiotherapy treatment, and to report parents' suggestions for improvements during radiotherapy for their children. Sixteen mothers and sixteen fathers of children between 2-16 years old with various cancer diagnoses were interviewed. Data were analyzed using content analysis. The findings showed that cancer and treatment turns people's lives upside down, affecting the entire family. Further, the parents experience the child's suffering and must cope with intense feelings. Radiotherapy treatment includes preparation by skilled and empathetic staff. The parents gradually find that they can deal with the process; and lastly, parents have suggestions for improvements during the radiotherapy treatment. An overarching theme emerged: that despair gradually turns to a sense of security, with a sustained focus on and close interaction with the child. In conclusion, an extreme burden was experienced around the start of radiotherapy, though parents gradually coped with the process.De två första författarna delar förstaförfattarskapet.</p

Children Undergoing Radiotherapy : Swedish Parents' Experiences and Suggestions for Improvement.

Approximately 300 children, from 0 to 18 years old, are diagnosed with cancer in Sweden every year. Of these children, 80-90 of them undergo radiotherapy treatment for their cancer. Although radiotherapy is an encounter with advanced technology, few studies have investigated the child's and the parent's view of the procedure. As part of an ongoing multicenter study aimed to improve patient preparation and the care environment in pediatric radiotherapy, this article reports the findings from interviews with parents at baseline. The aim of the present study was twofold: to describe parents' experience when their child undergoes radiotherapy treatment, and to report parents' suggestions for improvements during radiotherapy for their children. Sixteen mothers and sixteen fathers of children between 2-16 years old with various cancer diagnoses were interviewed. Data were analyzed using content analysis. The findings showed that cancer and treatment turns people's lives upside down, affecting the entire family. Further, the parents experience the child's suffering and must cope with intense feelings. Radiotherapy treatment includes preparation by skilled and empathetic staff. The parents gradually find that they can deal with the process; and lastly, parents have suggestions for improvements during the radiotherapy treatment. An overarching theme emerged: that despair gradually turns to a sense of security, with a sustained focus on and close interaction with the child. In conclusion, an extreme burden was experienced around the start of radiotherapy, though parents gradually coped with the process.De två första författarna delar förstaförfattarskapet.</p

Radiotherapy—Dose Escalated for Large Volume Primary Tumors—And Cetuximab with or without Induction Chemotherapy for HPV Associated Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck—A Randomized Phase II Trial

The leading cause of death for patients with HPV associated squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) after treatment with chemoradiotherapy (CRT) nowadays is peripheral metastasis. This study investigated whether induction chemotherapy (IC) could improve progression free survival (PFS) and impact on relapse pattern after CRT. Methods: Eligible patients in this multicenter, randomized, controlled, phase 2 trial had p16-positive locoregionally advanced SCCHN. Patients were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to either RT with cetuximab (arm B) versus the same regimen preceded by two cycles of taxotere/cisplatin/5-FU (arm A). The RT dose was escalated to 74.8 Gy for large volume primary tumors. Eligibility criteria included patients of 18–75 years, an ECOG performance status 0–1, and adequate organ functions. Results: From January 2011 to February 2016, 152 patients, all with oropharyngeal tumors were enrolled, 77 in arm A and 75 in arm B. Two patients, one in each group, withdrew their consent after randomization, leaving 150 patients for the ITT analysis. PFS at 2 years was 84.2% (95% CI 76.4–92.8) in arm A and 78.4% (95% CI 69.5–88.3) in arm B (HR 1.39, 95% CI 0.69–2.79, p = 0.40). At the time of analysis, there were 26 disease failures, 9 in arm A and 17 in arm B. In arm A, 3 patients had local, 2 regional, and 4 distant relapses as first sites of recurrence, and in arm B, 4, 4, and 9 relapses in corresponding sites. Eight out of 26 patients with disease progression had salvage therapy and 7 were alive NED (no evidence of disease), at 2 years. Locoregional control was 96% in arm A and 97.3% in arm B and OS 93% and 90.5%, respectively. Local failure as first site of recurrence was low, in 4.6% of patients and was similar for T1/T2 and T3/T4 tumors (n.s). Nevertheless, out of 7 patients with primary local failures, 4 were treated with the escalated RT dose. Toxicity was low and similar in the treatment arms. There was one fatal event in arm A where the combined effects of the drugs used in chemotherapy and cetuximab could not be ruled out. Conclusions: PFS, locoregional control and toxicity did not differ between the two arms, OS was high, and there were few local relapses. In arm B, more than twice as many patients had distant metastasis as the first site of relapse compared to arm A. The response to IC was found to define 29% of patients in arm A who did not have a tumor relapse during follow-up. An escalated dose of 74.8 Gy could mitigate the negative impact of large tumor volume but for some patients, even this intensified treatment was insufficient

Theme, category, and subcategory.

<p>Theme, category, and subcategory.</p

Mature results from a Swedish comparison study of conventional versus accelerated radiotherapy in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma - The ARTSCAN trial.

This report contains the mature five-year data from the Swedish ARTSCAN trial including information on the influence of p16 positivity (p16+) for oropharyngeal cancers