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Changes in sleep and fatigue in newly treated pediatric oncology patients
Valerie McLaughlin Crabtree1, Amanda M Rach, Kriston B Schellinger
1Department of Psychology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Mail Stop 101, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA, Valerie.crabtree@stjude.org.
Insights
Pediatric oncology patients experienced stable sleep patterns but persistent fatigue, particularly those with solid or brain tumors. Interventions may be needed for these children to manage ongoing fatigue during early cancer treatment.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Oncology
- Sleep Medicine
- Psychosocial Oncology
Background:
- Fatigue is a significant symptom for pediatric oncology patients.
- Longitudinal studies on sleep and fatigue in newly diagnosed children are limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To longitudinally assess sleep complaints and fatigue in pediatric oncology patients.
- To examine changes in sleep and fatigue during the initial 8 weeks of cancer treatment.
Main Methods:
- Administered questionnaires on sleep and fatigue to parents and patients (ages 2-18).
- Data collected within 30 days of diagnosis and again 8 weeks later.
- Included 170 patients at baseline and 153 at follow-up.
Main Results:
- Sleep patterns (bedtime, wake time, duration) remained stable over 8 weeks.
- Overall, sleep duration and fatigue were not correlated, but baseline self-reported sleep correlated with fatigue.
- Parent-reported fatigue decreased in leukemia patients but remained high in solid tumor and brain tumor patients.
Conclusions:
- Fatigue persists in pediatric patients with solid tumors and brain tumors during early treatment.
- This highlights a potential need for targeted interventions for these specific patient groups.
Background:
Fatigue has been reported as one of the most distressing symptoms in oncology patients, yet few have investigated the longitudinal course of sleep and fatigue in newly diagnosed pediatric oncology patients.
Procedure:
To longitudinally assess presence and changes of sleep complaints and fatigue, we administered questionnaires designed to measure sleep complaints, sleep habits, daytime sleepiness, and fatigue to parents of pediatric oncology patients ages 2-18 and to pediatric oncology patients, themselves, ages 8-18 within 30 days of diagnosis (n = 170) and again 8 weeks later (n = 153).
Results:
Bedtimes, wake times, and sleep duration remained relatively stable across the first 8 weeks of treatment. Sleep duration and fatigue were not related for the entire sample, though children's self-reported sleep duration was positively correlated with fatigue only at the baseline time point. Parent reports of fatigue significantly decreased for leukemia patients but remained rather high for solid tumor and brain tumor patients.
Conclusions:
Because fatigue remained high for solid tumor and brain tumor patients across the initial 8 weeks of treatment, this may highlight the need for intervention in this patient population.
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