Department of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center.
Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts.
Curr Opin Pediatr. 2018 Feb;30(1):40-48. doi: 10.1097/MOP.0000000000000573.
Pediatric palliative oncology (PPO) is an emerging field that integrates the principles of palliative care early into the illness trajectory of children with cancer. PPO providers work with interdisciplinary clinicians to provide optimal medical and psychosocial care to children with cancer and their families. Ongoing advances in the field of pediatric oncology, including new treatment options for progressive cancers, necessitate the early integration of palliative care tenets including holistic care, high-quality communication, and assessment and management of refractory symptoms.
Research in this emerging field has expanded dramatically over the past several years. This review will focus on advancements within several key areas of the field, specifically regarding investigation of the communication needs and preferences of patients and families, exploration of educational initiatives and interventions to teach PPO principles to clinicians, study of patient-reported and parent-reported tools to better assess and manage refractory symptoms, and development of novel models to integrate palliative care within pediatric oncology.
Research findings in the field of PPO, concurrent with advances in the treatment of pediatric cancer, may help improve survival and quality of life for children with cancer.
儿科肿瘤缓和医疗（PPO）是一个新兴领域，它将缓和医疗的原则尽早纳入癌症患儿的疾病进程中。PPO 提供者与跨学科临床医生合作，为癌症患儿及其家庭提供最佳的医疗和心理社会护理。儿科肿瘤学领域的持续进展，包括进展性癌症的新治疗选择，需要早期整合姑息治疗原则，包括整体护理、高质量沟通以及难治性症状的评估和管理。
在过去几年中，这个新兴领域的研究取得了巨大进展。本综述将重点关注该领域几个关键领域的进展，特别是关于调查患者和家庭的沟通需求和偏好、探索向临床医生教授 PPO 原则的教育计划和干预措施、研究患者报告和家长报告工具以更好地评估和管理难治性症状，以及开发将姑息治疗整合到儿科肿瘤学中的新模型。
PPO 领域的研究结果与儿童癌症治疗的进展同时出现，可能有助于提高癌症患儿的生存率和生活质量。
