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Supportive Care

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Pediatric Neuro-oncology

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Abstract

Despite the many advances in treatments and improvements in survival, the diagnosis and treatment of a pediatric brain or spinal cord malignancy is accompanied by many challenges and stressors. Supportive care describes the services and multidisciplinary care required to address the needs of the patient and family in order to meet the physical, informational, psychosocial, emotional, practical, and spiritual needs during all phases of their cancer care. Although some of the supportive care needs are common among families, the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric brain and spinal cord tumors is complex and may be variable throughout treatment. This population may also present some unique challenges with respect to antiemetic management, endocrinopathies, and, in some cases, posterior fossa syndrome. It requires a collaborative and multidisciplinary health-care team to effectively assess and address the supportive care needs. The supportive care requirements of these children and families can include the physical (physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech pathology, dietician, medical, pharmacy), education/informational (often met by nursing and medical team members), as well as psychosocial (social work, psychology, child life, psychiatry). This chapter will discuss the supportive care needs of diagnosis and early treatment phase as long-term follow-up is addressed in other chapters of this textbook.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada

    Beverly A. Wilson B.M.Sc., M.D., F.R.C.P.S.C.

  2. Pediatric Oncology Program, Stollery Children’s Hospital, Edmonton, AB, Canada

    Karina L. Black B.Sc.N., M.N., N.P.

  3. Department of Pediatrics, Division of Oncology, IWK Health Centre, Halifax, NS, Canada

    Samina Afzal M.B.B.S., F.C.P.S., F.R.C.P.C.H. (UK)

Authors
  1. Beverly A. Wilson B.M.Sc., M.D., F.R.C.P.S.C.
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  2. Karina L. Black B.Sc.N., M.N., N.P.
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  3. Samina Afzal M.B.B.S., F.C.P.S., F.R.C.P.C.H. (UK)
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Beverly A. Wilson B.M.Sc., M.D., F.R.C.P.S.C. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, McMaster Children's Hospital, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

    Katrin Scheinemann

  2. Department of Haematology/Oncology, Garron Family Chair in Childhood Cancer Research, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Eric Bouffet

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Wilson, B.A., Black, K.L., Afzal, S. (2015). Supportive Care. In: Scheinemann, K., Bouffet, E. (eds) Pediatric Neuro-oncology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1541-5_22

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1541-5_22

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-1540-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-1541-5

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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