Cancer In Children

Psychological Impact In Patients And Its Parents At Different Stages Of The Disease

Abstract

Pediatric cancer is the second cause of Brazilian childhood mortality. Its treatment is long, painful and causes considerable psychological distress, not only in children, but mostly in their parents. Although cure rates are currently high, making cancer a chronic disease, the child and his/her family must adapt to the stigma of the disease and to treatment’s side effects. In addition, some families face a cyclical cancer situation, experiencing this painful experience more than once. The present study aimed to introduce the reader to Pediatric Psycho-Oncology, summarizing the main research results on the psychological impact on patients and parents in different stages of the disease (diagnosis, treatment, cure, recurrence and terminality), through a non-systematic literature review. Conclusions highlight the necessity of psychological interventions aimed to caregivers, and suggest future systematic and meta-analytic reviews in the field