1. Objectifs

Intentions :
The authors «prepared a portrait of hospitalization for a representative sample of children who have siblings with cancer using longitudinal data up to age 14 years.» (p. 1685)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
«This was a longitudinal cohort study in which 1600 children who had a sibling with cancer were matched to 32,000 children who had unaffected siblings in Quebec, Canada, from 2006 to 2020.» (résumé)

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

«In this matched cohort study […], having a sibling with cancer was associated with a 15% greater risk of hospitalization compared with having unaffected siblings. Children who had a sibling with cancer had an elevated risk of hospitalization for pneumonia, skin complications, hemangioma, inflammatory bowel disease, and sleep apnea. […] The findings suggest that children in families affected by childhood cancer have an elevated risk of hospitalization, some of which may be avoidable.» (p. 1687) According to the authors, «[s]tress from having a sibling with cancer may compound the risk of diseases over the life course. Stressful childhood environments can disturb the structure and function of the immune system and other organs during sensitive developmental periods.» (p. 1689) «Caregiving challenges may also explain why having an older sibling with cancer was associated with a higher risk of morbidity. Younger children depend on parents to detect and treat symptoms of acute illnesses at an early stage to avoid disease progression.» (p. 1689)