Estrategias farmacológicas de cuidado paliativo utilizadas en el escenario al final de la vida en niños con cáncer. Protocolo de una revisión sistemática de literatura

Condition or domain being studied
Each year more than 250, 000 children in the world have received a diagnosis of cancer. In developed countries, cancer is the second cause of death in children under 14 years, just after accidents.The worldwide statistics show that for children under the age of 15 the estimated incidence is close to 5 to 20 per 100, 000, and the incidence for children between 15 to 19 years is 9 to 30 per 100, 000 children. The five-year survival rate of children with cancer differs depending on the socioeconomic development of the country where they are located. To palliate the death process in children, some disciplines seek to improve the quality of life in the so-called end-of-life stage (EOL). Symptoms that are frequently reported among pediatric cancer patients during this stage have been: pain, lack of appetite anorexia, fatigue, dyspnea, nausea and vomiting, constipation, anxiety, diarrhea, headache, dry mouth, urinary problems, numbness, convulsions, among others. However, despite the interventions, control of these symptoms is not always achieved; pain and respiratory difficulty control have been demonstrated in less than 30%, fatigue between 5% and 25%, the anorexia, constipation, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting in less than 10% of children with these symptoms.