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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · South Asian J Cancer 2022; 11(01): 073-081
DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1735482
Original Article
Pediatric Cancer

Cancer in the Adolescent and Young Adults (AYA) and Children: A Comprehensive Analysis of the Epidemiology and Psychosocial Morbidity in the Indian Population

Authors

  • Bhupesh Guleria   *

    1   Department of Medical Oncology, Malignant Diseases Treatment Center, Command Hospital (Southern Command), Pune, Maharashtra, India

  • S. Viswanath   *

    2   Department of Medical Oncology, Malignant Diseases Treatment Center, Command Hospital (Central Command), Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India

  • Dharmesh Soneji

    3   Department of Medical Oncology, Malignant Diseases Treatment Center, Army Hospital Research and Referral, New Delhi, India

  • Rajan Kapoor

    4   Department of Hematology, Command Hospital (Eastern Command), Kolkata, West Bengal, India

  • Prerna Guleria

    5   Department of Pathology, Command Hospital (Southern Command), Pune, Maharashtra, India

  • P. Suresh

    3   Department of Medical Oncology, Malignant Diseases Treatment Center, Army Hospital Research and Referral, New Delhi, India

  • Manish Kumar

    3   Department of Medical Oncology, Malignant Diseases Treatment Center, Army Hospital Research and Referral, New Delhi, India

  • Amol Patel

    6   Department of Medical Oncology, INHS ASVINI, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

  • Shivshankar Swamy

    3   Department of Medical Oncology, Malignant Diseases Treatment Center, Army Hospital Research and Referral, New Delhi, India

Funding The authors declare no financial implications during the conduct of this study.
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Abstract

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Bhupesh Guleria

Aims Adolescent and young adults (AYAs), children with cancer, and their guardians have unique psychosocial morbidities adversely effecting quality of life (QOL). This is measurable using patented tools. We analyzed epidemiological and clinicopathological patterns of solid organ cancers in this subgroup. We also assessed psychosocial morbidity and changes in QOL faced by them.

Methods All patients aged 2 to 39 years, newly diagnosed with cancer from April 2017 to March 2019 were included. Clinical history, diagnosis, staging, treatment, outcomes, and follow-up were recorded. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) distress thermometer and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ C-30) were used to assess psychosocial morbidity of AYAs, children ≥ 12 years, and parents of children < 12 years. Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (Peds QL) version 3.0 was used for children < 12 years. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics.

Results A total of 571 patients (512 AYAs, 59 children) were enrolled. Median age was 30 years with male predominance (58.1%). Most cases (98.6%) were absent from school or work. Carcinoma breast was the most common in females (29.3%) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma in males (12.6%). 91.06% had overall NCCN distress score ≥ 4. Also, 73.81 and 79.49% had “quite a bit” or “very much” responses on functional and symptom scales, respectively, in EORTC QLQ C-30 questionnaire. Peds QL version 3.0 revealed total score ranging from 276 to 523 for each patient.

Conclusion AYAs and children with cancer are extremely vulnerable to psychological stress and morbidity. Use of well-established tools help in assessing their mental status and timely psychiatric referral can be initiated.

Keywords

adolescents and young adults and children - epidemiology - health-related quality of life - measurement tools - psychosocial morbidity

Authors' Contributions

Conception and design: B.G., S.V., D.S.


Acquisition, analysis, and interpretation of data: B.G., P.G., S.S.M.S.


Drafting the article and revising it critically: B.G., P.G., S.V., R.K., M.K., A.P.


Final approval of the version to be published: S.V., D.S.


* First authors.


Supplementary Material



Publication History

Article published online:
31 December 2021

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