Purpose: This report represents a subanalysis of data from a primary study and addresses a gap in understanding the similarities and differences of symptom reporting between children with advanced cancer and their parents. The objectives of this subanalysis were to (1) compare reports of symptom prevalence, symptom burden, and symptom frequency, severity, and distress between groups of children and adolescents and their parents, and (2) describe concordance of symptom reports within individual child-parent dyads.Design and Methods: Forty-six children with relapsed, refractory, or progressive cancer and their parents from five pediatric cancer centers prospectively reported symptoms every 2 weeks for up to 61 weeks. The abbreviated Pediatric Quality of Life and Evaluation of Symptoms Technology-Memorial Symptom Assessment Scales were used to measure symptom prevalence, frequency, severity, and distress.Results: Children and parents reported pain, fatigue, nausea, and sleeping difficulties as the most frequently occurring symptoms. With the exception of shortness of breath, parents reported symptom prevalence more often than children. The differences in parent reports were statistically significant for fatigue, nausea, lack of appetite, feeling nervous, and sadness. Parents reported higher symptom burden scores compared to children for all individual symptoms except shortness of breath.Children reported higher scores for 19 of 32 possible symptom frequency, severity, and distress ratings. Children's scores were higher for frequency and severity, while parents' scores were higher for distress. Sleeping difficulties, pain, nausea, and diarrhea demonstrated the highest concordance, while feeling nervous, sadness, irritability, and fatigue yielded the lowest concordance between children's and parents' symptom reports.
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