Refinement of the Children's International Mucositis Evaluation Scale (ChIMES): Child and parent perspectives on understandability, content validity and acceptability

Validation of healthcare professional proxy-reported children's International Mucositis Evaluation Scale

OBJECTIVE

The objective was to describe the reliability and validity of the healthcare professional proxy-report version of the Children's International Mucositis Evaluation Scale (ChIMES).

METHODS

We included pediatric patients who were between 4 and 21 years of age and scheduled to undergo hematopoietic cell transplantation. Mucositis was evaluated by trained healthcare professionals who scored ChIMES, the World Health Organization oral toxicity scale, mouth, and throat pain visual analogue scale, National Cancer Institute-Common Terminology Criteria and the Oral Mucositis Daily Questionnaire. Measures were completed daily and evaluated on days 7-17 post-stem cell infusion for this analysis. Psychometric properties examined were internal consistency, test-retest reliability (days 13 and 14), and convergent construct validity.

RESULTS

There were 192 participants included. Cronbach's alpha was 0.90 for ChIMES Total Score and 0.93 for ChIMES Percentage Score. Test-retest reliability were as follows: intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) 0.82 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.77-0.85) for ChIMES Total Score and ICC 0.82 (95% CI 0.77-0.86) for ChIMES Percentage Score. In terms of construct validation, all correlations between measures met or exceeded those hypothesized (all p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The healthcare professional proxy-report version of ChIMES is reliable and valid for children and adolescents undergoing hematopoietic cell transplantation.

Factors Associated With Oral Mucositis Severity in Children Who Have Received Chemotherapy

Oral mucositis (OM) is a major complication for pediatric oncology patients undergoing cancer therapy. This paper aimed to report on the relationship between OM severity and various patient factors as well as to compare 2 scales used to assess OM severity. The severity of 68 separate episodes of OM in 47 pediatric oncology patients who had received chemotherapy was regularly assessed using the Children's International Mucositis Evaluation Scale (ChIMES) and World Health Organization (WHO) scale. The mean time from the start of the patients' chemotherapy block to the onset of OM was 8.4 days (±4.0), the median duration of OM was 7.0 days (4.0, 10.5) and median admission duration was 7.0 days (4.5, 13.5). There was a significant relationship between the severity of OM and the duration of symptoms ( P <0.001), patient's admission length ( P <0.001) and low neutrophil count. With decreasing neutrophil count, the severity of OM and number of pain medications used increased. Neutrophil count recovery coincided with resolution of OM. No significant relationship was found between OM severity and the child's cancer diagnosis. The 2 scales used to measure OM severity showed substantial agreement.

Prevention and Treatment of Oral Complications in Hematologic Childhood Cancer Patients: An Update

Cancers have a highly negative impact on the quality of life of paediatric patients and require an individualised oral treatment program for the phases of the disease. The aim of this study was to update existing research on oral care in children diagnosed with cancer. We carried out a literature search (in English, Spanish and Portuguese) in the Pubmed, Cochrane Library, EBSCO, WOS, SciELO, Lilacs, ProQuest, and SCOPUS databases and the websites of hospitals that treat childhood cancers. We found 114 articles and two hospital protocols. After review, we describe the interventions necessary to maintain oral health in children with cancer, divided into: phase I, before initiation of cancer treatment (review of medical record and oral history, planning of preventive strategies and dental treatments); phase II, from initiation of chemo-radiotherapy to 30-45 days post-therapy (maintenance of oral hygiene, reinforcement of parent/patient education in oral care, prevention and treatment of complications derived from cancer treatment); phase III, from 1 year to lifetime (periodic check-ups, maintenance, and reinforcement of oral hygiene, dental treatments, symptomatic care of the effects of long-term cancer treatment). The use of standardised protocols can avoid or minimise oral cancer complications and the side effects of cancer therapies.

Intravenous opioids for chemotherapy-induced severe mucositis pain in children: Systematic review and single-center case series of management with patient- or nurse-controlled analgesia (PCA/NCA)

BACKGROUND

Chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis can result in severe pain. Intravenous (IV) opioids are recommended, but management protocols vary. We systematically reviewed studies reporting IV opioid use for pain related to chemotherapy-induced severe oral mucositis in children and conducted a large single-center case series.

METHODS

Ovid MEDLINE, PubMed, and Cochrane databases were searched for studies reporting IV opioid duration and/or dose requirements for severe mucositis. Secondly, our pain service database was interrogated to describe episodes of opioid administration by patient- or nurse-controlled analgesia (PCA/NCA) for children with mucositis and cancer treatment-related pain.

RESULTS

Seventeen studies (six randomized trials, two prospective observational, three retrospective cohort, six retrospective case series) included IV opioid in 618 patients (age 0.3-22.3 years), but reported parameters varied. Mucositis severity and chemotherapy indication influenced IV opioid requirements, with duration ranging from 3 to 68 days and variable dose trajectories (hourly morphine or equivalent 0-97 mcg/kg/h). Our 7-year series included PCA/NCA for 364 episodes of severe mucositis (302 patients; age 0.12-17.2 years). Duration ranged from 1 to 107 days and dose requirements in the first 3 days from 1 to 110 mcg/kg/h morphine. Longer PCA/NCA duration was associated with: higher initial morphine requirements (ρ = 0.46 [95% CI 0.35, 0.57]); subsequent increased pain and need for ketamine co-analgesia (118/364 episodes with opioid/ketamine 13.9 [9.8-22.2] days vs opioid alone 6.0 [3.9-10.8] days; median [IQR]); but not with age or sex.

CONCLUSIONS

Management of severe mucositis pain can require prolonged IV opioid therapy. Individual and treatment-related variability in analgesic requirements highlight the need for regular review, titration, and management by specialist services.

Prevention of oral mucositis with cryotherapy in children undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantations-a feasibility study and randomized controlled trial

PURPOSE

To evaluate the feasibility of oral cryotherapy (OC) in children and to investigate if OC reduces the incidence of severe oral mucositis (OM), oral pain, and opioid use in children undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT).

METHODS

Fifty-three children, 4-17 years old, scheduled for HSCT in Sweden were included and randomized to OC or control using a computer-generated list. OC instructions were to cool the mouth with ice for as long as possible during chemotherapy infusions with an intended time of ≥ 30 min. Feasibility criteria in the OC group were as follows: (1) compliance ≥ 70%; (2) considerable discomfort during OC < 20%; (3) no serious adverse events; and (4) ice administered to all children. Grade of OM and oral pain was recorded daily using the WHO-Oral Toxicity Scale (WHO-OTS), Children's International Oral Mucositis Evaluation Scale, and Numerical Rating Scale. Use of opioids was collected from the medical records.

RESULTS

Forty-nine children (mean age 10.5 years) were included in analysis (OC = 26, control = 23). The feasibility criteria were not met. Compliance was poor, especially for the younger children, and only 15 children (58%) used OC as instructed. Severe OM (WHO-OTS ≥ 3) was recorded in 26 children (OC = 15, control = 11). OC did not reduce the incidence of severe OM, oral pain, or opioid use.

CONCLUSION

The feasibility criteria were not met, and the RCT could not show that OC reduces the incidence of severe OM, oral pain, or opioid use in pediatric patients treated with a variety of conditioning regimens for HSCT.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov id: NCT01789658.

The Children's International Mucositis Evaluation Scale Is Valid and Reliable for the Assessment of Mucositis Among Brazilian Children With Cancer

BACKGROUND

The Children's International Mucositis Evaluation Scale (ChIMES) is considered a valid and reliable instrument for the assessment of mucositis in pediatric patients aged 0-18 years.

OBJECTIVE

To perform the translation and cultural adaptation of ChIMES to Brazilian Portuguese and assess its psychometric properties.

METHODS

Methods for translation and cultural adaptation were used. Other measurements obtained concomitantly for the assessment of psychometric properties included the Oral Mucositis Daily Questionnaire, a visual analog scale, the World Health Organization grading scale for mucositis, and the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events toxicity scale. For test-retest analysis, patients and guardians responded to the self-report and proxy versions of ChIMES within intervals of one to seven days.

RESULTS

Regarding internal consistency, Cronbach's alpha (α) values were 0.769 (95% CI = 0.631-0.868) and 0.879 (95% CI = 0.872-0.920) for the self-reported and proxy versions, respectively. The convergent validity criteria were met for the self-reported and proxy versions (Spearman's rho = 0.466-0.751; P < 0.001 and Spearman's rho = 0.410-0.551; P < 0.001, respectively). Test-retest reliability assessment for the total score and Items 1, 2, 3, and 4 in both versions showed an intraclass correlation coefficient of ≥0.7.

CONCLUSIONS

The Portuguese self-reported and proxy versions of ChIMES were considered to be culturally adapted, valid, and reliable for Brazilian pediatric patients ranging from an age of one month to 18 years and were named ChIMES-BR.

The Prevalence and Investigation of Risk Factors of Oral Mucositis in a Pediatric Oncology Inpatient Population; a Prospective Study

BACKGROUND

Oral mucositis can be a frequent and severe complication of chemotherapy in children. It can result in pain, infection, depression, prolonged admission, treatment delays, increase in patient morbidity, and increased costs.

AIM

To record the prevalence and severity of oral mucositis among inpatients and explore the relationship of risks factors and the development of oral mucositis.

DESIGN

During an 18-month period 643 clinical inpatient assessments were completed on 73 children who were admitted and had received chemotherapy in the last 14 days.

RESULTS

There were 43 episodes of oral mucositis in 31 children; 42.5% of the inpatient population. World Health Organization assessment identified 32.6% of episodes were grade 1, 34.9% grade 2, 14.0% grade 3, and 18.6% grade 4. Analysis revealed significant associations between patient diagnosis (P<0.0001), chemotherapy cycles (P<0.0001), day 8 and 9 of the chemotherapy cycle (P<0.05), and neutropenia (P<0.0001) and oral mucositis. Children had increased length of admission with increasing severity of oral mucositis (P=0.0005).

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of oral mucositis was 42.5% among inpatients and admission length was increased with increasing severity. Patient diagnosis, chemotherapy treatment block, day of chemotherapy cycle, and neutropenic status were shown to influence the risk of developing oral mucositis.

Measuring Oral Mucositis of Pediatric Patients with Cancer: A Psychometric Evaluation of Chinese Version of the Oral Mucositis Daily Questionnaire

OBJECTIVE

Oral mucositis is a frequent clinical condition that has been shown to affect pediatric cancer patients. Oral Mucositis Daily Questionnaire (OMDQ) is one of the few available patient-reported outcome measures to assess the extent and impact of oral mucositis. The objectives of the study were to translate the Mouth and Throat Soreness-Related Questions of the OMDQ into Chinese (OMDQ MTS-Ch) for children and adolescents aged 6-18 years receiving chemotherapy and to evaluate its psychometric properties.

METHODS

This was part of a multicenter, prospective cohort study involving two phases. Phase I involved forward-backward translation to fit the cognitive and linguistic age level of the children and adolescents, followed by face and content validation, together with pretesting. In Phase II, which evaluated the internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and discriminant validity, a total of 140 patients completed the OMDQ MTS-Ch for 14 days.

RESULTS

The OMDQ MTS-Ch had satisfactory face and content validities. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the OMDQ MTS-Ch was 0.984. All of the corrected item-total correlations were higher than 0.90. The test-retest intraclass correlation coefficient between consecutive days for the OMDQ MTS-Ch items ranged from 0.576 to 0.983; the only value that was not over 0.70 was that for the paired study days 7 and 8 for the item of talking. The mean area-under-the-curve OMDQ MTS-Ch item scores were significantly different among patients with different degrees of mucositis severity (P < 0.001), supporting the discriminant validity.

CONCLUSIONS

It has been shown that the OMDQ MTS-Ch has a good level of reliability and discriminant validity and can be completed by children aged ≥6 years and adolescents on a daily basis to measure mucositis and its related functional limitations.

Child and adolescent self-report symptom measurement in pediatric oncology research: a systematic literature review

OBJECTIVE

Previous work in pediatric oncology has found that clinicians and parents tend to under-report the frequency and severity of treatment-related symptoms compared to child self-report. As such, there is a need to identify high-quality self-report instruments to be used in pediatric oncology research studies. This study's objective was to conduct a systematic literature review of existing English language instruments used to measure self-reported symptoms in children and adolescents undergoing cancer treatment.

METHODS

A comprehensive literature search was conducted in MEDLINE/PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, and PsycINFO to identify relevant articles published through November 10, 2016. Using pre-specified inclusion/exclusion criteria, six trained reviewers carefully screened abstracts and full-text articles for eligibility.

RESULTS

There were 7738 non-duplicate articles identified in the literature search. Forty articles met our eligibility criteria, and within these articles, there were 38 self-report English symptom instruments. Most studies evaluated only cross-sectional psychometric properties, such as reliability or validity. Ten studies assessed an instrument's responsiveness or ability to detect changes in symptoms over time. Eight instruments met our criteria for use in future longitudinal pediatric oncology studies.

CONCLUSIONS

This systematic review aids pediatric oncology researchers in identifying and selecting appropriate symptom measures with strong psychometric evidence for their studies. Enhancing the child's voice in pediatric oncology research studies allows us to better understand the impact of cancer and its treatment on the lives of children.

Investigation of the effects of planned mouth care education on the degree of oral mucositis in pediatric oncology patients

This study was designed as a longitudinal study with the purpose of investigating the effects of providing mouth care education to pediatric oncology patients on the degree of oral mucositis. The study sample included 16 children aged 8 to 18 years who were hospitalized in the pediatric oncology and hematology clinics at a university hospital. The results revealed a statistically significant difference between the degree of mucositis before and after the education given to children undergoing chemotherapy (P < .05). The median pain values were significantly different before and after the education (P < .05) as well. It was also found that there was a strong positive statistically significant correlation between the degree of mucositis and mean pain score both before and after the education (P < .001). Consequently, it is reported that both the degree of mucositis and pain levels decreased when children were given planned mouth care education before chemotherapy and when they regularly performed mouth care.

Feasibility and acceptability of the patient-reported outcomes measurement information system measures in children and adolescents in active cancer treatment and survivorship

BACKGROUND

Patient-reported outcomes related to symptoms, function, and quality of life during and following cancer treatment can guide care for pediatric cancer patients. To advance the science of patient-reported outcomes, the National Institutes of Health funded the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS).

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to assess feasibility and acceptability of the PROMIS pediatric measures, as defined by enrollment and attrition rates as well as missingness by measure, item, participant, and assessment time point.

METHODS

Eight- to 18-year-olds participated in 2 studies: PROMIS I, a cross-sectional study of children in active cancer treatment or survivorship, and PROMIS II, a longitudinal study with 3 assessment time points for children receiving curative treatment.

RESULTS

PROMIS I (n = 200) and PROMIS II (n = 94) had enrollment rates of 92.5% and 89.7%, respectively. For PROMIS I, measure missingness was acceptable (8% missed any measures) and was not related to other study variables. For PROMIS II, measure missingness was minimal (0.8%), and item-level missingness was relatively low. In general, items that were skipped asked about experiences that participants had not encountered in the past 7 days.

CONCLUSIONS

In both studies, the PROMIS instruments demonstrated good feasibility and acceptability among pediatric cancer patients. Overall, we had high enrollment, low attrition, and acceptable rates of measure and item missingness.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Our results demonstrate that PROMIS measures are acceptable to 8- to 18-year-olds in different points of cancer care and feasible for use in pediatric cancer inpatient and outpatient settings.

Validation of the Children's International Mucositis Evaluation Scale (ChIMES) in paediatric cancer and SCT

BACKGROUND

Objectives were to describe the reliability and validity of a new paediatric-specific mucositis scale, the Children's International Mucositis Evaluation Scale (ChIMES).

METHODS

In a multi-centre prospective study, children aged 0 to ≤18 years were eligible if they were receiving any of the following: myeloablative stem cell transplantation (SCT), ≥60 mg m(-2) course(-1) doxorubicin or ≥12 g m(-2) methotrexate. Multiple measures of mucositis were included along with ChIMES. Respondents were parent proxy report for children aged <12 years, and child self-report for children aged 12-18 years and 8 to <12 years. Mucositis diaries were completed at baseline and on Days 7-17 following chemotherapy/conditioning. On Day 14, the respondent reported presence of mucositis and change since the previous day.

RESULTS

The 185 respondents included parents (N=98), children aged 12-18 years (N=66) and children aged 8 to <12 years (N=21). Test-retest reliability was excellent for ChIMES Total Score and ChIMES Percentage Score with r>0.8 for all respondent types. Criteria for construct validation were met across all measures. ChIMES also demonstrated responsiveness with significant differences between baseline and Day 14.

CONCLUSION

ChIMES is a paediatric-specific measure of mucositis with favourable psychometric properties. It exhibits reliability, construct validity and responsiveness. ChIMES should be incorporated into clinical trials of mucositis prevention and treatment in paediatric cancer and SCT.

Development and initial evaluation of electronic Children's International Mucositis Evaluation Scale (eChIMES) for children with cancer

PURPOSE

We previously developed a pediatric-specific measure of oral mucositis named the Children's International Mucositis Evaluation Scale (ChIMES). Availability as an electronic version may improve self-report response rates. The objectives were to develop an electronic version of ChIMES (eChIMES) and to determine whether the instrument is easy to use, understandable, and suitable for measuring mucositis among children and adolescents with cancer.

METHODS

Development of eChIMES was on an iPad; the initial version was piloted with ten children to refine instructions for use and presentation. A crosssectional study then was conducted and included English-speaking children and adolescents 8-18 years of age receiving active treatment for cancer. Participants were shown eCHIMES and were asked to complete it. Questions elicited whether they found eChIMES easy or difficult to use, easy or difficult to understand, and suitable (a good way) for children with cancer to monitor mucositis. Outcomes were rated using five-point ordinal scales.

RESULTS

Following the development and initial refinement of eChIMES, 40 children were enrolled. Median age was 12.4 (range, 8.0 to 17.8) years. The instrument was found to be easy or very easy to use and understood by 40 (100 %) and 38 (95 %) participants, respectively. The application was considered suitable or very suitable for measuring mucositis by 37 (92 %).

CONCLUSIONS

We found that eChIMES was easy to use, understandable, and suitable for monitoring mucositis among children with cancer. Incorporation into clinical trials may improve the ability to compare and evaluate interventions for mucositis.

Children's Oncology Group's 2013 blueprint for research: cancer control and supportive care

In cancer control research, the objective is to reduce overall morbidity and mortality by decreasing acute and delayed treatment-related toxicities in all children with cancer. To date, the Children's Oncology Group (COG) has focused on infection, neurocognition, quality of life (QoL), and nutrition/antiemetics. COG is conducting randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to determine prophylaxis strategies that will reduce infections in high-risk populations. Two RCTs are determining if modafinil or computerized cognitive training improve cognitive functioning in pediatric brain tumor patients. QoL is being assessed in acute leukemia patients. Improved supportive care outcomes will only occur when the most effective interventions are established.

Pediatric patient-reported outcome instruments for research to support medical product labeling: report of the ISPOR PRO good research practices for the assessment of children and adolescents task force

BACKGROUND

Patient-reported outcome (PRO) instruments for children and adolescents are often included in clinical trials with the intention of collecting data to support claims in a medical product label.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of the current task force report is to recommend good practices for pediatric PRO research that is conducted to inform regulatory decision making and support claims made in medical product labeling. The recommendations are based on the consensus of an interdisciplinary group of researchers who were assembled for a task force associated with the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). In those areas in which supporting evidence is limited or in which general principles may not apply to every situation, this task force report identifies factors to consider when making decisions about the design and use of pediatric PRO instruments, while highlighting issues that require further research.

GOOD RESEARCH PRACTICES

Five good research practices are discussed: 1) Consider developmental differences and determine age-based criteria for PRO administration: Four age groups are discussed on the basis of previous research (<5 years old, 5-7 years, 8-11 years, and 12-18 years). These age groups are recommended as a starting point when making decisions, but they will not fit all PRO instruments or the developmental stage of every child. Specific age ranges should be determined individually for each population and PRO instrument. 2) Establish content validity of pediatric PRO instruments: This section discusses the advantages of using children as content experts, as well as strategies for concept elicitation and cognitive interviews with children. 3) Determine whether an informant-reported outcome instrument is necessary: The distinction between two types of informant-reported measures (proxy vs. observational) is discussed, and recommendations are provided. 4) Ensure that the instrument is designed and formatted appropriately for the target age group. Factors to consider include health-related vocabulary, reading level, response scales, recall period, length of instrument, pictorial representations, formatting details, administration approaches, and electronic data collection (ePRO). 5) Consider cross-cultural issues.

CONCLUSIONS

Additional research is needed to provide methodological guidance for future studies, especially for studies involving young children and parents' observational reports. As PRO data are increasingly used to support pediatric labeling claims, there will be more information regarding the standards by which these instruments will be judged. The use of PRO instruments in clinical trials and regulatory submissions will help ensure that children's experience of disease and treatment are accurately represented and considered in regulatory decisions.