Cancer — Assessing the Efficacy of a Psychosocial Intervention Program for Siblings of Children With Cancer
Citation(s)
Alderfer MA, Hodges JA Supporting Siblings of Children with Cancer: A Need for Family-School Partnerships. School Ment Health. 2010 Jun 1;2(2):72-81.
Alderfer MA, Labay LE, Kazak AE Brief report: does posttraumatic stress apply to siblings of childhood cancer survivors? J Pediatr Psychol. 2003 Jun;28(4):281-6.
Barrera, M , Chung, J. J., & Fleming, C. F. (2004). A group intervention for siblings of pediatric cancer patients. Journal of Psychological Oncology, 22(2), 21-39.
Packman W, Weber S, Wallace J, Bugescu N Psychological effects of hematopoietic SCT on pediatric patients, siblings and parents: a review. Bone Marrow Transplant. 2010 Jul;45(7):1134-46. doi: 10.1038/bmt.2010.74. Epub 2010 Apr 12. Review.
Sidhu R, Passmore A, Baker D The effectiveness of a peer support camp for siblings of children with cancer. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2006 Oct 15;47(5):580-8.
Assessing the Efficacy of a Psychosocial Intervention Program for Siblings of Children With Cancer
Interventional studies are often prospective and are specifically tailored to evaluate direct impacts of treatment or preventive measures on disease.
Observational studies are often retrospective and are used to assess potential causation in exposure-outcome relationships and therefore influence preventive methods.
Expanded access is a means by which manufacturers make investigational new drugs available, under certain circumstances, to treat a patient(s) with a serious disease or condition who cannot participate in a controlled clinical trial.
Clinical trials are conducted in a series of steps, called phases - each phase is designed to answer a separate research question.
Phase 1: Researchers test a new drug or treatment in a small group of people for the first time to evaluate its safety, determine a safe dosage range, and identify side effects.
Phase 2: The drug or treatment is given to a larger group of people to see if it is effective and to further evaluate its safety.
Phase 3: The drug or treatment is given to large groups of people to confirm its effectiveness, monitor side effects, compare it to commonly used treatments, and collect information that will allow the drug or treatment to be used safely.
Phase 4: Studies are done after the drug or treatment has been marketed to gather information on the drug's effect in various populations and any side effects associated with long-term use.
