Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Turkiye Klinikleri Pediatri, cilt.34, sa.2, ss.55-62, 2025 (Scopus)
Objective: This study aims to evaluate the quality of life of pediatric cancer patients receiving treatment in a hospital and to reveal both the children’s and their parents’ perceptions of cancer and how they are affected by the disease. Material and Methods: The study included 50 cancer patients aged 8-18 receiving treatment in a public university hospital’s pediatric hematology and oncology departments and their 50 caregiving parents. All caregivers were mothers. The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory, consisting of 23 questions, was administered to the participants. The collected data were analyzed using the SPSS 25.0 program, and data with p<0.05 were considered significant. Results: The study included 32 male (64%) and 18 female (36%) pediatric cancer patients. A moderate positive correlation (r=0.57) was found between the total scale scores of the children and their parents (p<0.001). A moderate positive correlation was found between the subscale scores of children and parents regarding “problems related to health and activities” and “problems related to emotions” (r=0.62 and p<0.001; r=0.46 and p=0.001; respectively). However, there were weak positive correlations between the subscale scores for “problems related to others” and “problems related to school” (r=0.38 and p<0.01; r=0.39 and p<0.01; respectively). The total scale scores of children undergoing chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgical treatment were higher than those receiving other treatments (p=0.015). Conclusion: The psychosocial evaluation of pediatric cancer patients and their parents is crucial for healthcare providers to assess interventions aimed at improving quality of life and to implement necessary improvements.