Pain as an Adverse Event During Chemotherapy in Children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: A Cross-Sectional Nationwide Study.

Abstract

IntroductionPain is a common adverse event of chemotherapy in pediatric oncology patients. Understanding pain's impact on these patients is essential for improving their quality of life and treatment outcomes. This short communication aims to describe the characteristics of pain in children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) and to explore its interactions with hospitalization duration and relapse, considering variables such as age, gender, and risk level.MethodsThis retrospective study analyzed data from 610 observations of pediatric patients with ALL treated under the Brazilian GBTLI-99 protocol. Pain was recorded according to CTCAE criteria. Statistical analyses, including Chi-square, Mann-Whitney, Poisson, and logistic regression models, were applied to explore associations between pain, hospitalization length, relapse, and other variables.ResultsOur results indicated that patients who presented with pain experienced longer hospitalization lengths. No significant difference in the presence of pain in female or male pediatric patients was observed.ConclusionThis study is a first step towards treating pain as a limiting event that compromises the quality of life and response to treatment in Brazilian pediatric cancer patients.