Concurrent School Attendance And Cancer Therapy: The Experiences of 6-12 Year Old Pediatric Oncology Patients

NCT01383473 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: SCHOOL1
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 14
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Many children with cancer cannot participate regularly in school due to frequent hospitalizations for treatment or treatment related effects such as pain, nausea, and fatigue. Prior studies have shown that children with cancer desire to attend school while receiving therapy despite these challenges, and that they report psychological and psychosocial difficulties if unable to attend. While school attendance has been found to correlate with Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL), self-efficacy beliefs, and self-esteem, little is known about how children with cancer experience school attendance while receiving active cancer therapy. The purpose of this study will be to explore how 6-12 year old children with cancer perceive school attendance pre and post diagnosis during active therapy as measured at one-time point, 6 months (± 2months) into active therapy.

Conditions

Leukemia; Lymphoma; Solid Tumor

Keywords

cancer therapy; school attendance; cancer diagnosis; perception

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• 6-12 year old pediatric oncology patients' perceptions of their school experiences pre and post cancer diagnosis will be explored;

  This will be done through interviews and drawings.

  1 year

Study Arms (2)

Leukemia Patients

6-12 year old pediatric oncology patients' perceptions of their school experiences pre and post cancer diagnosis will be done through interviews and drawings.

Solid Tumor Patients

6-12 year old pediatric oncology patients' perceptions of their school experiences pre and post cancer diagnosis will be done through interviews and drawings.

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 6 Years - 12 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Participants will consist of 6-12-year-old patients currently on therapy for a primary diagnosis of a leukemia/lymphoma or solid tumor at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. Potential participants will be recruited via a medical chart review performed by the principal investigator in order to identify children who have been on active therapy for a malignancy for 6 months (plus or minus 2 months) at the time of enrollment on this protocol

You may qualify if:

• Participant is 6-12 years of age at the time of diagnosis.
• Participant has a primary diagnosis of leukemia/lymphoma or solid tumor.
• Participant has been on therapy for six months (plus or minus 2 months) at the time of enrollment on this protocol.
• Participant is able to read and speak English.

You may not qualify if:

• Participant has not received any type of schooling services either in the home, community, or hospital setting since diagnosis.
• Participant did not receive any type of schooling services prior to diagnosis.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• St. Jude Children's Research Hospital: lead

Study Sites (1)

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Memphis, Tennessee, 38105, United States

Location

Related Links

• St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Leukemia; Lymphoma

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Neoplasms by Histologic Type; Neoplasms; Hematologic Diseases; Hemic and Lymphatic Diseases; Lymphoproliferative Disorders; Lymphatic Diseases; Immunoproliferative Disorders; Immune System Diseases

Study Officials

• Jessika C Boles, MEd., CCLS

  St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: CASE ONLY
• Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 27, 2011
• First Posted: June 28, 2011
• Study Start: August 1, 2011
• Primary Completion: June 1, 2012
• Study Completion: July 1, 2012
• Last Updated: August 27, 2015

Record last verified: 2013-08

Locations

US (1)