Search

Worldwide, the coronavirus 19 disease pandemic caused a worse chance of a timely diagnosis for cancer patients. We conducted a retrospective analysis of new diagnoses registered in the national pediatric oncology database, comparing the first lockdown period (March-May 2020) with the same period of 2015-2019. The total number of cases (0-19 years) dropped by 20.8% (from 441 between 2015 and 2019 to 349 in 2020). A major reduction was observed for adolescents (15-19 years) (-32.9%) and for adolescents with solid tumors (-56.4%, p = 0.03). Our data suggest that the enforced lockdown reduced the possibility for these already vulnerable patients to access the referral centers.

Tumor pathology is a bio-psycho-social event that has consequences for a person's life from all points of view, physical, psychological, relational and social. The mental discomfort that chronic pain and neoplastic pathology brings with it is present in 25-40% of cases, but the request for help to a psychologist, where not provided for by a specific diagnostic therapeutic assistance path, is in the case of medical pathologies less than 3%. The Piedmont and Valle d'Aosta Oncology Network has the role of coordinating the network of services that deal with the care of the cancer patient, including those relating to psycho-oncology. The article presents data relating to the activities of psycho-oncologists of the Network in the years 2017, 2018 and 2019.A shared tool is used to collect the data, a database, made up of various variables deemed necessary to be able to photograph the activities carried out by the psycho-oncologists belonging to the Network. The database has been the subject of comparison between psychologists and has led to continuous revisions of the tool from 2017 to 2019, more accurate version.The 3-year study involved 2188 (2017), 3341 (2018) and 3457 (2019) adult patients or their families treated by psycho-oncologists. Patients are predominantly female with breast cancer, married/cohabiting, whose pre-eminent discomfort is anxiety, combined with the depressive component. The psychological intervention is mainly psychological support (level 2).Psychological management is an important intervention in the path of the cancer patient. The systematic collection of data made it possible to detect an increase in patients who accessed the psycho-oncology service, from an estimate of 1/3% in 2009 to 4.6% in 2018/2019.

Purpose: To describe how the provision of services for adolescents with cancer has evolved in Italy, the study evaluated access to pediatric oncology centers affiliated to the national cooperative ...

BACKGROUND: An assessment of the supportive care needs that parents whose children are suffering from cancer is crucial to providing maximum quality care in pediatric oncology. OBJECTIVE: To examine the psychometric properties of the Cancer Patient Needs Questionnaire (CPNQ) and validate the revised version (rCPNQ) of this multidimensional tool that evaluates the needs of parents whose child has cancer. METHODS: The original rCPNQ comprised 45 items and 6 dimensions of need. The original rCPNQ was first translated into Italian and then validated for use by performing an exploratory factor analysis with a subsequent reliability analysis for the entire scale and each factor found. RESULTS: One hundred forty-nine parents completed the Italian version of the rCPNQ, where a preliminary correlation analysis revealed the need for different psychometric item properties in the Italian population, with 22 items being excluded in the final model. The results of an exploratory factor analysis indicated a structure encompassing 4 factors of needs: (1) child-related emotional, (2) functional, (3) healthcare-related, and (4) emotional. The final version showed satisfactory internal consistency (subscales' Cronbach's α all >.80) and stability. CONCLUSION: The Italian version of the rCPNQ is a shorter statistically validated version of the original scale and is a valid measure for professionals to use when assessing parents' supportive care requirements. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The Italian version of rCPNQ can be used with professionals when assessing parents of children with cancer to assess their perceptions of their ill child's emotional, functional, and healthcare needs.

Adolescents with cancer face unique medical and psychosocial challenges and it is important for their doctors to understand the psychological manifestations of cancer diagnosis and treatment in this age group. Using patient dialogues, we describe how simultaneous participation of physicians and patients could help to give voice to patient needs, in particular concerning communication.

Aim: To compare the efficacy of a high-intensity psychosocial intervention with standardized usual care in countering psychosocial complexity among child–parent units in a pediatric oncology setting. Methods: Two hundred pediatric oncology patients and their parents were recruited from Italian hospitals. A total of 81 child–parent units were assigned to the high-intensity psychosocial intervention and 119 child–parent units to standardized usual care. Psychosocial factors were assessed before and 1 year after intervention to measure efficacy. Results: More improvements over time were observed in the high-intensity intervention group of child–parent units compared to the standard intervention group. Conclusion: An intensive, structured, and tailored high-intensity intervention positively affects the psychosocial factors of child–parent units. Patients and families should have access to intensive psychosocial support throughout the cancer trajectory.

La malattia oncologica di un bambino espone l’intera famiglia a condizioni di forte stress fisico ed emotivo comportando spesso disequilibri e cambiamenti sia sul versante affettivo sia sociale. Al fine di effettuare un corretto screening dei pazienti oncologici e delle famiglie e un appropriato invio allo specialista da parte dell’equipe professionale (oltre che a garantire un appropriato percorso di cura) e stato deliberato dalla Regione Piemonte il PDTA in psicologia oncologica (2009). Il presente studio intende presentare i risultati preliminari relativi all’applicazione della Scheda di Complessita (strumento del PDTA che valuta le criticita bio-psico-sociali) all’interno della Struttura di Oncoematologia Pediatrica e Centro Trapianti dell’Ospedale Infantile Regina Margherita di Torino. I dati riguardano l’applicazione della Scheda da luglio 2011 a luglio 2014. Durante tale periodo la Scheda di Complessita e stata compilata al momento della diagnosi in merito a 308 famiglie (173 casi risultati globalmente complessi e 135 globalmente non complessi). Delle 173 schede risultate complesse, l’area maggiormente critica risulta essere quella psicologica che interessa 147 casi (42%). In 80 casi e gia stata effettuata la valutazione anche al momento della fine delle terapie oncologiche e dell’intervento psicologico: 57 casi rimangono o diventano non complessi mentre i restanti 23 risultano complessi anche nella fase della fine delle terapie. Tale complessita puo essere pero riferita al fatto che alcuni di questi casi (23) risultavano di complessita elevata nell’area sociale mentre altri (7) presentavano una complessita psicologica/psichiatrica precedente alla diagnosi. La Scheda risulta dunque uno strumento utile per valutare eventuali rischi nelle famiglie, scegliere l’intervento e il livello piu appropriato da adottare e valutarne l’outcome.

Background To provide successful transfer from childhood to adult-oriented healthcare is one of the priorities of survivorship care plans. Purpose This study describes adolescent and young adult childhood cancer survivors’ conditions at the moment of the transition to adult care deepening their biological, psychological, social and assistant state and their associations with socio-demographic and clinical characteristics. Methods A biopsychosocial check-list in four health domains (biological, psychological, social and assistant) was filled in by healthcare professionals (oncologists, psychologists, social workers and nurses) through qualitative interviews and clinical observations of 79 survivors (58% boys; Mage = 20 years old) at the moment of the transition from the Pediatric Oncology Unit to the Transition Unit of the Childhood Cancer Survivors. Results At the moment of transition, 38% of survivors showed a positive condition in all the four health domains without any kind of impairment. Biological (37%) and psychological areas (44%) were found to be those with major incidence of impairments. Association phenomena were found between psychological and social condition (p < 0.05) and between social and assistant condition (p < 0.05). Biological condition was also significantly associated with the type of cancer (χ = 6,2414, p < 0.05). Conclusion Although many survivors entered in adult care system without any impairment, the biopsychosocial approach highlighted that there is a presence of impairments in at least one of the main health domains.

Social media are powerful means of communication that can also have an important role in the healthcare sector. They are sometimes seen with diffidence in the healthcare setting, partly because they risk blurring professional boundaries. This issue is particularly relevant to relations between caregivers and adolescent patients. The Italian Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Association created a multidisciplinary working group to develop some shared recommendations on this issue. After reviewing the literature, the working group prepared a consensus statement in an effort to suggest an analytical approach rather than restrictive rules.

This study focuses on body image discomfort (BID) of 50 adolescent and young adult (AYA) hematologic cancer survivors (age range 15-23; 52% males). The study results were obtained through data from a self-report questionnaire: the Body Uneasiness Test. Findings differed according to gender: a greater proportion of females were in the Risk category of impaired body image than males (χ

Introduction Spirituality is a fundamental aspect of the psychological well-being of adolescents with cancer. This study reports on a survey conducted at pediatric oncology centers in Italy and Spain to examine the situation concerning the provision of spiritual support. Methods An ad hoc questionnaire was distributed including multiple-choice questions on whether or not spiritual support was available; the spiritual counselor's role; how often the spiritual counselor visited the unit; and the type of training this person had received. Results A spiritual support service was available at 24 of the 26 responding centers in Italy and 34/36 in Spain. The training received by the spiritual counselor was exclusively theological in most cases (with medical or psychological training in a few cases). In both countries the spiritual counselor was mainly involved in providing religious services and support at the terminal stage of the disease or in talking with patients and families. Cooperation with caregivers was reported by 27.3% and 46.7% of the Italian and Spanish centers, respectively, while the daily presence of the chaplain on the ward was reported by 18.2% and 26.7%. Conclusions The role of the spiritual counselor in pediatric oncology – in Italy and Spain at least – is still neither well-established nor based on standardized operating methods or training requirements. A model that implies the constant presence of a spiritual counselor in hospital wards may be proposed to provide appropriate spiritual support to adolescents with cancer.

This analysis compared the numbers of patients treated at Italian pediatric oncology group (Associazione Italiana Ematologia Oncologia Pediatrica [AIEOP]) centers with the numbers of cases predicted according to the population-based registry. It considered 32,431 patients registered in the AIEOP database (1989-2012). The ratio of observed (O) to expected (E) cases was 0.79 for children (0-14 years old) and 0.15 for adolescents (15-19 years old). The proportion of adolescents increased significantly over the years, however, from 0.05 in the earliest period to 0.10, 0.18, and then 0.28 in the latest period of observation, suggesting a greater efficacy of local/national programs dedicated to adolescents.