P008 Pilot and Feasibility of Bright Light Therapy in Improving Sleep and Quality of Life in Children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia

INTRODUCTION: Bright light therapy (BLT) improves sleep and quality of life (QOL) in adults with cancer and adolescents with mood disorders. Children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) are vulnerable to poor sleep, related to their new cancer diagnosis and impaired sleep-wake cycles from dexamethasone treatment. To date no studies have investigated the feasibility and utility of BLT to improve sleep, daytime functioning and QOL in this population. METHODS: The intervention group (N=7) underwent BLT for 30 minutes each morning during dexamethasone treatment. Actigraphy and psychometric questionnaires measured at baseline, at the end of dexamethasone treatment and at six months post treatment, in addition to actigraphy following three dexamethasone treatments, were compared between the intervention and non-intervention groups (N=5). Feasibility measures included study acceptance, retention and limited efficacy testing. RESULTS: The Moods and Feelings questionnaire and both the child and parent reported PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale had the lowest completion rates both at the end of treatment or at follow up for BLT (57-67%) and in the non-intervention group (50-60%). Negligible differences were observed in sleep outcomes during dexamethasone treatment between the two groups. The largest effect sizes of BLT were seen for total sleep time, sleep efficiency and wake after sleep onset at the end of dexamethasone treatment and at follow up. DISCUSSION: This study demonstrates limited preliminary feasibility of BLT in children with ALL during dexamethasone treatment. A successful future trial should consider modifications to the data collection periods and the type of questionnaires.