Validation of the Children's International Mucositis Evaluation Scale (ChIMES) in paediatric cancer and SCT
S Jacobs1, C Baggott, R Agarwal
1Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, Children's National Medical Center, 111 Michigan Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20111, USA.
Insights
The Children's International Mucositis Evaluation Scale (ChIMES) is a reliable and valid tool for assessing mucositis in children undergoing cancer treatment or stem cell transplantation (SCT). This pediatric mucositis scale shows excellent psychometric properties.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
- Clinical Trials Methodology
Background:
- Mucositis is a common and debilitating side effect of cancer therapy.
- Accurate assessment of mucositis in pediatric patients is crucial for effective management.
- Existing mucositis scales may not be adequately validated for pediatric populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the reliability and validity of the Children's International Mucositis Evaluation Scale (ChIMES).
- To establish ChIMES as a suitable pediatric-specific measure for mucositis assessment.
Main Methods:
- A multi-center prospective study involving children aged 0-18 years undergoing specific cancer treatments (SCT, doxorubicin, methotrexate).
- Utilized parent proxy reports for younger children and self-reports for older children.
- Collected mucositis data using ChIMES and other measures via diaries from baseline to Day 17, with a focus on Day 14.
Main Results:
- Excellent test-retest reliability (r>0.8) for ChIMES Total and Percentage Scores across all respondent groups.
- ChIMES met criteria for construct validity across all measures.
- Demonstrated responsiveness with significant changes observed between baseline and Day 14.
Conclusions:
- The Children's International Mucositis Evaluation Scale (ChIMES) is a reliable and valid pediatric-specific mucositis assessment tool.
- ChIMES possesses favorable psychometric properties, including reliability, construct validity, and responsiveness.
- Recommended for incorporation into clinical trials for pediatric mucositis prevention and treatment in cancer and SCT settings.
Background:
Objectives were to describe the reliability and validity of a new paediatric-specific mucositis scale, the Children's International Mucositis Evaluation Scale (ChIMES).
Methods:
In a multi-centre prospective study, children aged 0 to ≤18 years were eligible if they were receiving any of the following: myeloablative stem cell transplantation (SCT), ≥60 mg m(-2) course(-1) doxorubicin or ≥12 g m(-2) methotrexate. Multiple measures of mucositis were included along with ChIMES. Respondents were parent proxy report for children aged <12 years, and child self-report for children aged 12-18 years and 8 to <12 years. Mucositis diaries were completed at baseline and on Days 7-17 following chemotherapy/conditioning. On Day 14, the respondent reported presence of mucositis and change since the previous day.
Results:
The 185 respondents included parents (N=98), children aged 12-18 years (N=66) and children aged 8 to <12 years (N=21). Test-retest reliability was excellent for ChIMES Total Score and ChIMES Percentage Score with r>0.8 for all respondent types. Criteria for construct validation were met across all measures. ChIMES also demonstrated responsiveness with significant differences between baseline and Day 14.
Conclusion:
ChIMES is a paediatric-specific measure of mucositis with favourable psychometric properties. It exhibits reliability, construct validity and responsiveness. ChIMES should be incorporated into clinical trials of mucositis prevention and treatment in paediatric cancer and SCT.
