Clinical Trial: Development and Validation of a Symptom Scale for Children With Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease

Study Status: Terminated
Recruit Status: Unknown status
Study Type: Observational

Official Title: Development and Validation of a Symptoms Scale for Children With Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease

Brief Summary: Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease (cGVHD) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. cGVHD usually occurs after 100 days following transplantation and develops in 20-60% of transplant recipients. The incidence of cGVHD varies depending on the age of the marrow recipient, the use of sibling or unrealted donor bone marrow, teh use of unmanipulated T cell-depleted bone marrow, and perhaps other factors. Clinically, cGVHD is characterized by multi-system disease, which frequently mimics the clinical features of autoimmune diseases. The manifestations include skin changes (lichenoid and sclerodermatous changes, changes in pigmentation, loss of accessory structures such as hair, dystrophic nails, and rash), joint contractures, severe cramping, hepatic dysfunctions, sicca syndrome, obstructive lung disease, esophageal dysmotility, weight loss, polyserositis, immunodeficiency, and autoantibodies including anti-nuclear antibody, anti-erythrocyte antibodies, and anti-platelet antibodies.

Detailed Summary: A large number of children with cGVHD have to deal with many years of a disfiguring and painful chronic illness with the side effects of long term steroid use. The number of stem cell transplants done in children is only growing given that we are now transplanting patients with a variety of nonmalignant disorders and given the use of alternative donor sources. The broad categories of limited and extensive cGVHD are recognized by clinicans, but are not particularly useful in clinical practice. Since cGVHD may involve almost every organ system adn since cGVHD constitutes a waxing and waning nature, cGVHD makes clinical management very difficult and complicated. Currently, there is a symptoms scale used in the adult population for measuring symptom burden for adults with cGVHD. This scale is called the "Lee Symptoms Scale". The purpose of this project is to develop a scale that is similar in design to the Lee Scale, but it is specifically designed to measure the burden of cGVHD in the pediatric population
Sponsor: Ann & Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago

Current Primary Outcome: To develop a Pediatric Chronic GVHD Symptoms Scale (PCSS) that reliably measures the disease specific burden of chronic GVHD in children [ Time Frame: One Day Interview will be performed ]

Original Primary Outcome: Same as current

Current Secondary Outcome:

Original Secondary Outcome:

Information By: Ann & Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago

Dates:
Date Received: March 4, 2008
Date Started: January 2008
Date Completion: July 2010
Last Updated: January 27, 2009
Last Verified: January 2009