Article

Health-Related Quality of Life in Childhood Cancer: State of the Science

Mary Ann Cantrell

health-related quality of life, children
ONF 2007, 34(1), 103-111. DOI: 10.1188/07.ONF.103-111

Purpose/Objectives: To summarize the theoretical understanding and empirical measurement of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) for childhood cancer survivors and to identify determinants of HRQOL for adolescents with cancer.

Data Sources: Published articles from 1985-2005. Key words included health, quality of life, childhood cancer, and survivorship.

Data Synthesis: Direct and indirect determinants of HRQOL for adolescents with cancer include physical health, perceived level of selfesteem, coping abilities, personality characteristics, hopefulness, social support, and overall experiences during treatment.

Conclusions: Understanding and influencing children's and adolescents' experiences in treatment have been suggested as keys in ameliorating psychosocial sequelae and positively influencing HRQOL in survivorship.

Implications for Nursing: Psychosocial nursing care interventions are needed to positively influence the determinants of HRQOL for children and adolescents with cancer.

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