Feasibility of Symptom Burden Assessments and Early Palliative Care Integration in an Adolescent and Young Adult Leukemia Clinic
Adolescents and young adults (AYA; ages 15-39) with acute leukemia have significant unmet supportive care needs. This pilot study integrated same-day palliative care (PC) into an AYA leukemia clinic, measuring symptom burden (SB) with validated symptom assessment tools at baseline, 3, and 6 months. Among 31 patients, moderate-severe symptoms included tiredness, anxiety, and poor appetite. AYAs experienced high SB and psychological distress, regardless of care phase or sociodemographics. With PC integration, tiredness and depression improved significantly; no symptoms worsened. Half of the PC visits led to management changes. Early integration of symptom-focused PC was feasible, value-adding, and well-received by patients.
Authors
- Wendy Stock (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8349-9200)
- Christopher K. Daugherty (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5247-6911)
- Collin Hanson
- Sarah Monick
- Adam DuVall (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9163-8792)
- Jennifer L. McNeer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4743-6325)
- Fay J. Hlubocky (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4647-3597)
- Tara Olive Henderson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9394-6206)
- Amy Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1829-5877)
- K. Sarah Hoehn
Institutions
- NorthShore University HealthSystem (US)
- University of Utah (US)
- University of Chicago (US)
- Mayo Clinic in Arizona (US)
- Mayo Clinic Hospital (US)
- Comer Children's Hospital (US)
- Northwestern Medicine (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology
- Published
- 2025-10-22
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1177/21565333251389438
- Primary Topic
- Palliative Care and End-of-Life Issues
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00