Fighting Against Pediatric Cancer: Provision of Supportive and Palliative Care in the Era of Solid Tumors

Introduction: Solid tumors constitute approximately ۶۰% of childhood malignancies. The signs and symptoms of solid tumors in children often mimic those of common childhood illnesses, leading to challenges in accurately diagnosing the condition. While treatment options have expanded in recent years, patients and their families still face numerous challenges throughout the medical journey. In this regard, supportive and palliative services are instrumental in addressing the challenges.Method: Data was extracted and analyzed from patients referred to the MACSA palliative care department at Mofid Children's Hospital using pre-prepared forms to evaluate the reasons behind referrals for children with solid tumors.Results: Between December ۲۰۲۳ and May ۲۰۲۴, ۳۴ patients with solid tumors made a total of ۴۵ visits to the palliative care department. Out of these visits, ۲۲ referrals came from the hematology and oncology outpatient clinic, and ۲۳ referrals were from the emergency department. The most common complaints of the patients were disorders in blood indices (۳۲/۳۹%), fever (۲۱/۱۲%), nausea and vomiting (۷/۰۴%), and epistaxis (۵/۶۳%), respectively. The main services provided to the patients included blood product transfusion (Including ۵۱/۸۵% packed red blood cells, ۳۳.۳۳% platelets, and ۱۴/۱۸% other blood products transfusion), managing physical symptoms, and family care.Conclusion: Children's palliative care is a new field that provides support to patients, especially those with malignancies, and their families, in addition to medical treatment. Given the high incidence of solid tumors in children, understanding the primary reasons for patient referrals to the palliative care department can assist in tailoring essential services for patients and their families.

کلیدواژه ها:

Malignancy ، tumor ، pediatric palliative care