Physical Development Characteristics of Children Treated for Brain Tumor and Healthy Siblings Of Cancer Patients (A Pilot Study)

Abstract

Introduction. In families with such a child his/her siblings often live, whose development will be affected by the current stressful situation for all family members. Siblings of cancer patients appear to be a psychological vulnerable group, as they have low self-esteem, fear of death and loneliness, anxiety, anger. The study aimed to assess the level of physical development (PD) of children, treated for brain tumors, and siblings of childhood cancer survivors, in relation to stressful circumstances of living in a family with an oncological relative. Material and methods. The study involved children aged 6 to 17 years who had completed treatment for a brain tumor (BT), as well as siblings of children with various cancer types. We measured 27 boys and 36 girls with BT, the sample of siblings included 26 boys and 31 girls. To assess the compliance of the level of PD of children of both groups with age standards, for each child of a given gender and age a centile corridor was determined by body length (BL) and BMI, and individual values of signs were ranked in Z-points, using WHO standards. A detailed questionnaire was conducted to assess some characteristics of a child's family environment. Statistics analysis was performed with Statistica 12 software package. Results. For a group of children with BT, a significant shift in the distribution of PD scores along body length and BMI towards low values was found, for a group of siblings, the opposite picture was obtained – the distribution of body length and BMI scores shifted to the higher values. It has been shown that higher developmental scores in body length are significantly more common in children who are older siblings in relation to patients with BT. Conclusion. Thus, brain tumor treatment affects not only the physical development of a child, but is a factor contributing to the growth processes of the body of siblings of children with BT. Siblings of cancer patients represent a special group of children, which indicates the need to take into account the special needs of all their family members in the process of treatment and rehabilitation, as well as the incorrectness of using siblings as a control group in scientific research.