Emotional Distress Among Pediatric Cancer Patients and their Siblings

Objectives: Cancer being a serious chronic illness, causes profound effects on physical and mental health of the individual as well as affects their caregivers and family members' mental health. This study aims to find out the burden of emotional distress in patients of childhood cancer as well as their healthy siblings. Methods: It was a descriptive cross-sectional study. Parents of the children undergoing cancer treatment or having completed treatment within past one year were asked to complete an interview proforma (Pediatric Emotional Distress Scale) about their child’s behaviour over past one month, scoring each behaviour on a scale of 1 to 5 according to the frequency of symptoms. The data was then analysed using SPSS 20. The frequency distribution, central tendencies and standard deviations were calculated accordingly. Results: Almost eighty-five% of the patients showed scores above the clinical threshold for emotional distress. Eighteen% of the healthy siblings also had scores above the clinical threshold. Patients as well as their healthy siblings showed high levels of anxiousness in their behaviours. Conclusions • Childhood cancer is a cause of major emotional trauma in patients. • Age-matched siblings usually cope well with the illness.

C -Reactive Protein, Leukocyte Count and Neutrophils: A Diagnostic Aid in Acute Appendicitis

Background: Malnutrition is known to be a poor prognostic factor affecting the outcome of pediatric cancers. The objective of this study was to assess the pre-existing malnutrition in newly diagnosed pediatric cancer patients presenting at the Pediatric Oncology Department, Children Hospital, PIMS and their number of hospital admissions due to causes other than chemotherapy. Methodology: Data of 44 newly diagnosed children with cancer was analyzed to find out the association of nutritional status according to z-score for weight and height for age, body mass index (BMI) and mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) with their number of hospital admissions for 6 months since their date of diagnosis. Results: The mean age of the study subjects was 4.25 ± 2.85 years, out of which 33(75%) were males and 11(25%) females. Most of the patients were diagnosed with leukemia or lymphoma.  Nutritional status evaluation of thirty patients who got admitted was mild to moderate wasting in 24(80%) assessed by weight for age, mild to moderate stunting in 21 (70%) according to height for age and mild to severe malnutrition in 10 (33%) based on body mass index and mid upper arm circumference (MUAC). There was significant association between nutritional status of patients at the time of diagnosis with additional hospitalization with p value less than 0.05 Conclusion: Malnutrition at the time of diagnosis is significantly associated with an increase in the number of hospital admissions in pediatric cancer patients. Key words: Hospitalization, Malnutrition, Oncology, Pediatric &nbsp