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Effect of treatment for paediatric cancers on balance: what do we know? A review of the evidence
Author(s) -
TURNER M.,
GAG D.,
LAGACE M.,
GAG I.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
european journal of cancer care
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.849
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1365-2354
pISSN - 0961-5423
DOI - 10.1111/ecc.12019
Subject(s) - medicine , balance (ability) , childhood cancer , intervention (counseling) , population , affect (linguistics) , randomized controlled trial , dynamic balance , pediatrics , cancer , gerontology , physical therapy , psychiatry , linguistics , philosophy , physics , environmental health , quantum mechanics
This review aims to explore the literature investigating balance outcomes in survivors of childhood cancer. A structured search of five databases resulted in 16 articles included in this review. Nearly all were classified as Level 4 evidence using the updated O xford C entre for E vidence‐ B ased M edicine L evels of E vidence. Balance abilities have been investigated solely in survivors of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia or central nervous system tumours. The literature tends to support the idea that survivors present with balance difficulties but the results need to be closely scrutinised. Several studies report results using the same experimental group, while other studies use balance outcome measures that have not had their psychometric properties assessed with this population. There are also few studies that evaluate dynamic balance abilities in survivors of paediatric cancers, which may be more influential on functional tasks. Furthermore, very few of the included studies investigate how the found balance deficits affect this population's daily lives, which would be necessary in order to determine if intervention should be geared towards this area. Directions for future research should also include multi‐centred, clinically oriented trials to evaluate balance abilities in survivors of childhood cancers compared with healthy control subjects in order to strengthen the literature.