Mucositis is one common problem in children with cancer. Its lead to functional disturbance in children, both of physiologic and psychosocial disorder. The aimed of this study was to identify the factors associated with mucositis in children with cancer. Thus factor are the type of chemotherapy agent, the type of cancer, nutritional state, neutropenia state and co-morbid disease. This study was conducted at dr. Hasan Sadikin Hospital Bandung. Consecutive sampling was used in this study, with 28 participant was participated in this study. Mucositis score was observed by Eilers’s Oral Assessment Guide. Data were analyzed using distributive frequencies and chi-square test. The results of this study showed it was a significant association between the type of chemotherapy (p=0,000;α=0,05), nutritional state (p=0,021;α=0,05), the type of cancer (p=0,000;α=0,05), dan co-morbid disease (p=0,002;α=0,05) with mucositis, meanwhile neutropenia state was not associated with mucositis in children with cancer (p=0,09;α=0,05). Based on the findings, it is recommended to do appropriate assessment and intervention managing mucositis in children with cancer to reduce overall morbidity and improve the quality of life in children with cancer.
Key words: Cancer, children, mucositis.
