Fatigue and Oxidative Stress in Children Undergoing Leukemia Treatment

Fatigue is a frequent and distressing symptom in children undergoing leukemia treatment; however, little is known about factors influencing this symptom. Antioxidants such as glutathione can decrease symptom severity in adult oncology patients, but no study has evaluated antioxidants’ effects on symptoms in pediatric oncology patients. This study describes fatigue patterns and associations of fatigue with antioxidants represented by reduced glutathione (GSH) and the reduced/oxidized glutathione (GSH/GSSG) ratio among children receiving leukemia treatment. A repeated measures design assessed fatigue and antioxidants among 38 children from two large U.S. cancer centers. Fatigue was assessed among school-age children and by parent proxy among young children. Antioxidants (GSH and GSH/GSSG ratio) were assessed from cerebrospinal fluid at four phases during leukemia treatment. Young children had a steady decline of fatigue from the end of induction treatment through the continuation phase of treatment, but no ...