Sleep in Children Who Have Cancer

Sleep problems are common in children and generally easily corrected, but only if they have been identified and treated appropriately. For children who have severe medical problems, such as cancer, sleep problems may not be identified because other more pressing, life-threatening problems are in the forefront, and because the oncologists who are the primary case managers of children who have cancer may not be familiar with the diagnosis and treatment of sleep problems. This article summarizes the more common and important sleep problems seen in children who have cancer, discusses the factors that contribute to sleep disturbance in children who have cancer, and describes a clinical approach to solving these problems.