The biopsychosocial condition of childhood cancer survivors in the transition towards adult care: a national survey from the joint pediatric and adult transition care group

Giulia Zucchetti; Simona Bellini; Marina Bertolotti; Eleonora Biasin; Enrico Brignardello; Franca Fagioli

doi:10.1515/ijamh-2018-0189

The biopsychosocial condition of childhood cancer survivors in the transition towards adult care: a national survey from the joint pediatric and adult transition care group

Int J Adolesc Med Health. 2018 Dec 18;33(4). doi: 10.1515/ijamh-2018-0189.

Authors

Giulia Zucchetti¹, Simona Bellini¹, Marina Bertolotti¹, Eleonora Biasin¹, Enrico Brignardello², Franca Fagioli¹

Affiliations

¹ Paediatric Onco-Haematology, Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Division, City of Science and Health of Turin, Regina Margherita Children's Hospital, Turin, Italy.
² Transition Unit for Childhood Cancer Survivors, City of Science and Health of Turin, Turin, Italy.

PMID: 30864415
DOI: 10.1515/ijamh-2018-0189

Abstract

Background: To provide successful transfer from childhood to adult-oriented healthcare is one of the priorities of survivorship care plans.

Purpose: This study describes adolescent and young adult childhood cancer survivors' conditions at the moment of the transition to adult care deepening their biological, psychological, social and assistant state and their associations with socio-demographic and clinical characteristics.

Methods: A biopsychosocial check-list in four health domains (biological, psychological, social and assistant) was filled in by healthcare professionals (oncologists, psychologists, social workers and nurses) through qualitative interviews and clinical observations of 79 survivors (58% boys; M_age = 20 years old) at the moment of the transition from the Pediatric Oncology Unit to the Transition Unit of the Childhood Cancer Survivors.

Results: At the moment of transition, 38% of survivors showed a positive condition in all the four health domains without any kind of impairment. Biological (37%) and psychological areas (44%) were found to be those with major incidence of impairments. Association phenomena were found between psychological and social condition (p < 0.05) and between social and assistant condition (p < 0.05). Biological condition was also significantly associated with the type of cancer (χ = 6,2414, p < 0.05).

Conclusion: Although many survivors entered in adult care system without any impairment, the biopsychosocial approach highlighted that there is a presence of impairments in at least one of the main health domains.

Keywords: biopsychosocial; childhood cancer survivors; psycho-oncology; transition.