In this study, we aimed to investigate the quality of life (QoL) of children with cancer and their parents separately and determine any differences from the control group comprised of patients with other chronic illnesses. Seventy-two cancer survivors or patients with ongoing cancer treatment and 72 patients with chronic diseases other than cancer were enrolled in the study; they ranged in age from 4-16 years. Short Form (SF)-36 Quality of Life Questionnaire for parents and the Turkish versions of Kiddy-Kindl (for ages 4-7), Kid-Kindl (for ages 8-11), and Kiddo-Kindl (for ages 12-16) were applied. The mothers in the cancer patient group had significantly better scores on the physical role functioning dimension compared with the control group (p<0.05). In the cancer patient group, the fathers had significantly better scores on physical functioning, energy, emotional well-being, pain, and general health compared to the mothers (p<0.05). When the children’s scores were evaluated, only family dimension was significantly better in the cancer patient group than in controls. In the cancer patient group, there was a significant correlation between the QoL scores of children and the number of siblings. In conclusion, the QoL of children with cancer and their parents has been adversely affected; however, not more than the deterioration in the QoL of individuals with other chronic diseases. Children with cancer scored better on QoL scales evaluating patient-family interactions. QoL was seen to increase when the number of siblings increased. The negative effects of the disease were greater among the mothers than fathers.

Keywords: yaşam kalitesi, çocukluk çağı kanserleri, anne ve baba.