OBJECTIVES:

• Determine whether quality of life, particularly sense of well being, self-esteem, and relationships with parents, family, and peers, improves in children with cancer who participate in an enriched, normalized camping experience.
• Determine whether professional or volunteer caregivers improve the quality of their interrelations with this patient population after participating in an enriched, normalized camping experience.

OUTLINE: Patients participate in a full range of age appropriate activities and undergo observation during an enriched, normalized camping experience for 1 week. Patients and their family members undergo psychosocial interviews and patients complete psychological questionnaires before, during, and after the camping experience. Medical care continues to be provided according to the plan formulated between the patient's home medical team and the NIH-based medical team.

Quality of life is assessed.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: Approximately 9,999 patients will be accrued for this study.

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Diagnosis of cancer

  • Currently receiving treatment OR
  • No more than 3 years since prior treatment OR
• Young adults with cancer acting as camp counselors

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

• 7 to 17

Performance status:

• Not specified

Life expectancy:

• Not specified

Hematopoietic:

• Not specified

Hepatic:

• Not specified

Renal:

• Not specified

Other:

• Concurrent physical defects allowed

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

• Concurrent blood products allowed

Chemotherapy:

• Not specified

Endocrine therapy:

• Not specified

Radiotherapy:

• Not specified

Surgery:

• Prior amputations allowed

Other:

• Concurrent intramuscular, intrathecal, oral, or IV medications allowed