Supportive Care Working Group

With the introduction of intensive chemotherapy strategies, survival rates for children diagnosed with cancer have increased to over 80% such as in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Nevertheless, childhood cancer remains one of the leading causes of disease-related death. It is worth noting that the adverse effects that are a consequence of the treatment lead to significant morbidity but also to delays in treatment and therefore have significant effects on the quality of life of young patients and their families during and immediately after the completion of treatment.
With the aim to prevent and/or reduce morbidity and mortality and to improve the quality of life of children with cancer and their families, it is of utmost importance that children receive optimal supportive care. Supportive care as defined by the United States National Cancer Institute is care provided to improve the quality of life of people suffering from a disease by preventing or treating, as early as possible, the disease’s symptoms and side effects caused by the treatment of the disease.
Scientific aim of the Supportive Care working group of the Hellenic Society of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology is the treatment and management of pain, chronic fatigue, nausea and hyperemesis after chemotherapy, nutritional support and treatment of cachexia, mucositis, oral and dental care, thrombosis and bleeding from disease or treatment, care of the central venous catheter, administration of transfusions and growth factors, and management of emergencies during diagnosis and treatment. The psychosocial support of children with cancer who are receiving treatment, palliative care and end-stage care also play an important role in providing optimal care.
In order to maximize the quality of the care provided, our aim is to create clinical practice guidelines for supportive care after recording and investigating the applied practices. In conclusion, in modern reality it is worth underlining that the superiority of a treatment is judged not only by the achievementof maximum survival but also by the quality of life during treatment.