Chronic pain prevalence and quality of life in survivors of paediatric cancer: A systematic review

Background: As survival rates of paediatric cancers continue to improve, there is a growing need for research into survivorship, particularly in children and adolescents. Aims: This study will a) systematically review current literature on the prevalence of chronic pain (CP) in survivors of childhood cancer; b) review the relationship between pain prevalence in paediatric cancer survivors and health-related quality of life (HRQOL), and c) compare CP and HRQOL between adult survivors of paediatric cancer (18+) and survivors within the paediatric age range (0-18). Methods: A systematic review will be conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. Studies will be identified via a search of Medline, PsychINFO, Web of Science, CINAHL, PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar and OpenGrey databases from inception of the databases to November 2017. We will include all study formats reporting any point or period prevalence estimates, from a survivor sample (i.e., not currently receiving cancer treatment), diagnosed with cancer between 0 and 18 years and experiencing chronic pain i.e., defined as pain in one or more body locations, lasting for a period of 3 months or longer. The articles will be appraised using a risk of bias tool developed specifically for prevalence studies (Hoy et al., 2012). Results & Conclusion: The studies will be synthesised and pooled prevalence estimates will be calculated for chronic pain in adult and paediatric survivors of childhood cancer. The results will be discussed in light of relevant findings, and recommendations for further research will be made regarding the clinical care of survivors