A Systematic Review of Occupational Therapy’s Role in Pediatric Oncology

Level of Education of Students Involved

Graduate

Faculty Sponsor

Sara Story and Alyssa Formyduval

College

College of Nursing & Health Professions (CONHP)

Discipline(s)

Occupational Therapy in Pediatric Oncology

Presentation Type

Poster Presentation

Symposium Date

Spring 4-30-2026

Abstract

Background: Pediatric patients receiving oncological treatments experience symptoms that hinder quality of life (QoL), occupational performance, and participation. Limited research exists regarding the impact occupational therapy services have on these symptoms. This modified systematic review intended to answer the question: How do occupational therapy interventions result in improved occupational performance, participation, and quality of life for patients with pediatric cancer?

Methods: Three graduate-level researchers conducted a comprehensive search across various databases such as CINAHL, MEDLINE, and PubMed to identify peer-reviewed studies published in English within the last ten years.  The inclusion criteria consisted of participants with a cancer diagnosis younger than 18 years of age. Studies were included if one of the following outcome measures were addressed: occupational performance, participation, and QoL.  Formats of systematic reviews, meta-analyses, dissertations, or presentations were excluded.

Results: The modified systematic review included 15 studies evaluating QoL, occupational performance, and participation following various occupational therapy interventions.  Occupational therapy and related interventions (play-based therapy, task-oriented training, cognitive rehabilitation) showed significant improvements in participation, functional independence, and occupational performance. Improvements in motor functioning and coordination were also observed. QoL outcomes varied across studies, with improvements following interventions and some decrease associated with fatigue and treatment related factors. Children with cancer inherently exhibited lower cognitive and occupational performance compared to normative groups.

Conclusion: Pediatric oncology patients receiving occupational therapy services can lead to improvements in occupational performance, participation, and QoL.  Further research is required to determine which intervention styles yield optimal results for pediatric cancer patients.

Biographical Information about Author(s)

The authors are three first-year occupational therapy students attending Valparaiso University.  Ashton and Aimee have interests in pursuing pediatric occupational therapy while Logan has interest in pursuing oncological occupational therapy.  

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