Introduction: The integral part of the treatment of pediatric oncological patients is a range of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. These procedures are often associated with the fear and anxiety of the suffering child. We investigated whether a psychological preparation through drama therapy and the therapeutic puppet may reduce the anxiety related to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in the preschool or early school children suffering from cancer.Methods: Twenty consecutive pediatric patients of preschool and early school age, with the diagnosis of lymphoblastic leukemia, were included in the study. The patients were alternatingly assigned to experimental or control group, and subjected or not subjected to drama therapy, respectively. We measured the changes in heart rate, blood pressure and respiratory rate as indicators of anxiety and fear, before and after the diagnostic or therapeutic procedures.Results: Heart rate, blood pressure, and respiratory rate in pediatric oncological patients before and after the diagnostic or therapeutic procedure were significantly lower in the experimental group of patients.Conclusion: Our results show that psychological preparation using drama therapy and therapeutic puppet reduced the fear and anxiety related to diagnostic or therapeutic procedures in pediatric oncological patients.Key words: drama therapy; therapeutic puppet; children; oncology; psychology

This article describes the medical, psychological, and social challenges encountered during home-based, family-centred palliative care of a 3-year-old female with secondary histiocytic sarcoma diagnosed during treatment for T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Histiocytic sarcoma is an exceedingly rare cancer in adults, but even less frequent and highly aggressive when presenting as a secondary cancer in children. Comprehensive, multidisciplinary paediatric hospice care services are not widely available across Slovakia, thus limiting the number of patients and families offered such highly specialized end-of-life care. This case study illustrates the primary benefi ts for the child and family of such a program as well as the impact on the medical and nursing professionals working in the fi eld of paediatric haematology-oncology.