Renal medullary carcinoma: a nearly fatal malignancy specifically affecting patients with a so-called benign condition

Determination of birth prevalence of sickle cell disease using point of care test HemotypeSC™ at Rundu Hospital, Namibia

BACKGROUND

Sickle cell disease (SCD), a noncommunicable disease, has the greatest burden in sub-Saharan Africa. The majority of children (50-90%) with SCD die before their 5th birthday, with approximately 150,000-300,000 annual SCD child deaths in Africa. In developed countries, newborn screening (NBS) has been shown to improve the survival of children with sickle cell disease, with under5 childhood mortality reduced tenfold due to interventions performed before the development of complications. Point -of-care tests have been developed for resource limited settings to expand NBS. The aim of this study was to determine the birth prevalence of sickle cell disease in Namibia using the HemoTypeSC™ point-of-care test.

METHODS

A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out at Rundu Intermediate Hospital in the Kavango East Region. Two hundred and two (202) well newborns within 72 h of birth were recruited for the study from 22 February to the 23th March 2023. Descriptive statistics were used to compute the haemoglobin types of the study participants.

RESULTS

The majority of the participants (n = 105, 52%) were females, and (n = 97,48%) were males. The median age of the participants was 23 h (Q1, Q3; 11; 33),) with an age range of 2-98 h. Sickle cell trait was present in 9.4% of the screened newborns, no homozygous disease was detected, and 90.6% had Hb AA.

CONCLUSIONS

This study is the first to measure HbS gene carriage at birth using HemotypeSC point-of-care testing in Namibia. There was a moderate prevalence of sickle cell traits but no SCD. This baseline study may provide the foundation for larger epidemiological surveys to map HbS gene carriage in Namibia to provide evidence for policy makers to fashion appropriate SCD newborn screening services.

Recent Advances in Renal Medullary Carcinoma

Renal medullary carcinoma (RMC) is a rare renal malignancy that has been associated with sickle hemoglobinopathies. RMC is aggressive, difficult to treat, and occurs primarily in adolescents and young adults of African ancestry. This cancer is driven by the loss of SMARCB1, a tumor suppressor seen in a number of primarily rare childhood cancers (e.g., rhabdoid tumor of the kidney and atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor). Treatment options remain limited due in part to the limited knowledge of RMC biology. However, significant advances have been made in unraveling the biology of RMC, from genomics to therapeutic targets, over the past 5 years. In this review, we will present these advances and discuss what new questions exist in the field.

Parents' Experiences and Needs Regarding Infant Sickle Cell Trait Results

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Sickle cell trait (SCT) has reproductive implications and can rarely cause health problems. SCT counseling improves parent knowledge but is infrequently received by children with SCT compared with children with cystic fibrosis carrier status. There are no national guidelines on SCT disclosure timing, frequency, or counseling content. Parents' experiences with SCT disclosure and counseling are poorly understood but could inform the development of guidelines. We explored parents' experiences with and desires for SCT disclosure and counseling for their infants with SCT identified via newborn screening.

METHODS

Parents of infants 2 to 12 months old with SCT were recruited through a state newborn screening program for semistructured interviews to explore their experiences with and desires for SCT disclosure and counseling. Inductive thematic analysis was conducted.

RESULTS

Sixteen interviews were completed from January to August 2020. Most parents reported that SCT disclosure occurred soon after birth, in person, and by the child's physician. Five themes were identified: parent knowledge before child's SCT disclosure, family planning, the dynamics of SCT disclosure and counseling, emotions and actions after SCT disclosure, and parent desires for the SCT disclosure and counseling process. Two primary parent desires were revealed. Parents want more information about SCT, particularly rare symptomatology, and they want SCT counseling repeated once the child approaches adolescence.

CONCLUSION

Parents report receiving their child's SCT diagnosis in the early newborn period from their child's doctor but indicate they receive incomplete information. Opportunities exist in primary care pediatrics to better align SCT disclosure timing and counseling content with parent desires.

Renal Medullary Carcinoma: a Report of the Current Literature

PURPOSE OF THE REVIEW

We present an updated report of renal medullary carcinoma (RMC), a rare and aggressive condition.

RECENT FINDINGS

There is a majority of male patients, of African descent, in the second or third decade of life. In differential diagnosis, other tumors, such as malignant rhabdoid tumor (MRT), vinculin-anaplastic lymphoma kinase (VCL-ALK) translocation renal cell carcinoma, and collecting duct carcinoma, may present difficulties. Abnormalities of tumor suppressor gene SMARCB1 have been found in RMC. Reported symptoms were hematuria, pain, weight loss, respiratory distress, palpable mass, cough, and fever. Most patients present with metastases at diagnosis. There is no definite recommended treatment, and protocols are extrapolated from other malignancies, with nephrectomy and systemic therapies being most frequently used. Response to treatment and prognosis remain very poor. RMC is a rare and aggressive tumor. Definitive diagnosis requires histological assessment and the presence of sickle-cell hemoglobinopathies.