Cancer surveillance series: recent trends in childhood cancer incidence and mortality in the United States

[18F]FDG PET/MRI in children suffering from lymphoma: does MRI contrast media make a difference?

OBJECTIVES

Evaluate the influence of an MRI contrast agent application on primary and follow-up staging in pediatric patients with newly diagnosed lymphoma using [18F]FDG PET/MRI to avoid adverse effects and save time and costs during examination.

METHODS

A total of 105 [18F]FDG PET/MRI datasets were included for data evaluation. Two different reading protocols were analyzed by two experienced readers in consensus, including for PET/MRI-1 reading protocol unenhanced T2w and/or T1w imaging, diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), and [18F]FDG PET imaging and for PET/MRI-2 reading protocol an additional T1w post contrast imaging. Patient-based and region-based evaluation according to the revised International Pediatric Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL) Staging System (IPNHLSS) was performed, and a modified standard of reference was applied comprising histopathology and previous and follow-up cross-sectional imaging. Differences in staging accuracy were assessed using the Wilcoxon and McNemar tests.

RESULTS

In patient-based analysis, PET/MRI-1 and PET/MRI-2 both determined a correct IPNHLSS tumor stage in 90/105 (86%) exams. Region-based analysis correctly identified 119/127 (94%) lymphoma-affected regions. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and diagnostic accuracy for PET/MRI-1 and PET/MRI-2 were 94%, 97%, 90%, 99%, 97%, respectively. There were no significant differences between PET/MRI-1 and PET/MRI-2.

CONCLUSIONS

The use of MRI contrast agents in [18F]FDG PET/MRI examinations has no beneficial effect in primary and follow-up staging of pediatric lymphoma patients. Therefore, switching to a contrast agent-free [18F]FDG PET/MRI protocol should be considered in all pediatric lymphoma patients.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT

This study gives a scientific baseline switching to a contrast agent-free [18F]FDG PET/MRI staging in pediatric lymphoma patients. This could avoid side effects of contrast agents and saves time and costs by a faster staging protocol for pediatric patients.

KEY POINTS

• No additional diagnostic benefit of MRI contrast agents at [18F]FDG PET/MRI examinations of pediatric lymphoma primary and follow-up staging • Highly accurate primary and follow-up staging of pediatric lymphoma patients at MRI contrast-free [18F]FDG PET/MRI.

DUX4-r exerts a neomorphic activity that depends on GTF2I in acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Translocations producing rearranged versions of the transcription factor double homeobox 4 (DUX4-r) are one of the most frequent causes of B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). DUX4-r retains the DNA binding domain of wild-type DUX4 but is truncated on the C-terminal transcription activation domain. The precise mechanism through which DUX4-r causes leukemia is unknown, and no targeted therapy is currently available. We found that the rearrangement leads to both a loss and a gain of function in DUX4-r. Loss of CBP/EP300 transcriptional coactivator interaction leads to an inability to bind and activate repressed chromatin. Concurrently, a gain of interaction with the general transcription factor 2 I (GTF2I) redirects DUX4-r toward leukemogenic targets. This neomorphic activity exposes an Achilles' heel whereby DUX4-r-positive leukemia cells are exquisitely sensitive to GTF2I targeting, which inhibits DUX4-r leukemogenic activity. Our work elucidates the molecular mechanism through which DUX4-r causes leukemia and suggests a possible therapeutic avenue tailored to this B-ALL subtype.

The Effect of Health Insurance on Pediatric Cancer Survival: An Analysis of Children Evaluated for Radiation Therapy in Diverse Multicenter Health Systems

BACKGROUND

Understanding the role of health insurance in cancer survival in a diverse population of pediatric radiation oncology patients could help to identify patients at risk of adverse outcomes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Data were collected from cancer patients evaluated for radiation therapy, age < 19, diagnosed from January 1990 to August 2019. Predictors of recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) were analyzed by univariable and multivariable Cox regression. Variables included health insurance, diagnosis type, sex, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status deprivation index.

RESULTS

The study included 459 patients with a median diagnosis age of 9 years. Demographic breakdown was 49.5% Hispanic, 27.2% non-Hispanic White, and 20.7% non-Hispanic Black. There were 203 recurrences and 86 deaths observed over a median follow-up of 2.4 years. Five-year RFS was 59.8% (95% CI, 51.6, 67.0) versus 36.5% (95% CI, 26.6, 46.6), and 5-year OS was 87.5% (95% CI, 80.9, 91.9) versus 71.0% (95% CI, 60.3, 79.3) in private pay insurance versus Medicaid/Medicare, respectively. Multivariable showed Medicaid/Medicare patients experienced a 54% higher risk of recurrence (hazard ratio: 1.54, 95% CI, 1.08, 2.20) and 79% higher risk of death (hazard ratio: 1.79, 95% CI, 1.02, 3.14) than privately insured patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Significant disadvantages in RFS and OS were identified in radiation oncology patients with Medicaid/Medicare insurance, even after adjusting for clinical and demographic variables.

A multi-disciplinary team approach to pediatric malignant mandibular tumors

OBJECTIVE

Mandibular tumors in the pediatric population are rare. These malignancies are variable in their histology, and combined with their rarity, has made it difficult to describe their clinical course, and treatment guidelines. The aim of this paper is to describe the experience of Boston Children's Hospital, a pediatric tertiary referral center, with treating malignant mandibular malignancies, as well as provide multi-disciplinary team approach in managing this clinical entity.

METHODS

A retrospective search was performed for mandibular malignancies in pediatric patients between 1995 and 2020 via the pathological database at Boston Children's Hospital. Only patients with malignant solid mandibular neoplasms were included, leaving 15 patients for final analysis.

RESULTS

The median age at presentation was 10.1 ± 10.3 years. Nine of 15 patients (60%) presented with jaw mass which was the most common clinical presentation. The most commonly identified histological diagnosis was rhabdomayosarcoma and osteosarcoma (n = 4, 26% each). A mandibulectomy was performed in 12 (80%) cases. Reconstruction of the mandible was performed using a fibular free flap in 6 (40%) cases, and a plate in 3 (20%) cases. Mean follow-up was 4.6 ± 4.9 years.

CONCLUSION

Malignant tumors most commonly present with a jaw mass, however asymptomatic and incidental presentations follow closely and pathologies can vary greatly. Surgical resection and reconstruction is often indicated, multidisciplinary tumor board review is required to determine when children are best treated with neo-/adjuvant treatment with chemo- and radiotherapy.

High-dose chemotherapy with autologous stem cell transplantation for patients with extracranial germ cell tumors - experience of two Brazilian pediatric centers

Malignant extracranial germ cell tumors (GCTs) are rare in pediatric patients and are usually extremely sensitive to chemotherapy. Relapsed or refractory tumors, although rare, established the need for second-line therapies, including high-dose chemotherapy with autologous stem cell transplantation (HDCT/ASCT). However, there are few data on its use in children with GCTs. We present a retrospective analysis of all patients diagnosed with extracranial GCTs who received HDCT/ASCT at two Brazilian pediatric cancer centers from May 1999 to December 2019. We identified a total of 34 patients with a median age at diagnosis of 2.8 years (range, 0 to 18.8), who received HDCT/ASCT. Most patients (73%) received carboplatin, etoposide and melphalan (CEM) as a HDCT regimen. Fourteen patients received a second-line conventional dose chemotherapy (CDCT), 14 received a third-line CDCT and five received even a fourth-line CDCT prior to HDCT/ASCT. After a median follow-up of 22.7 months (range, 0.3 to 198.1), 16 patients had died after tumor relapse/progression and 2 patients died from HDCT/ASCT toxicity. We observed a 5-year OS of 47.1% and 5-year EFS of 44.1%. The 5-year OS for patients referred for HDCT/ASCT with progressive disease was 10% compared to 62.5% for those who achieved disease control before HDCT/ASCT (p = 0.001). In our experience, heavily pretreated children and adolescents with extracranial GCTs achieved considerable survival rates with HDCT/ASCT since, at least, partial control of their disease was possible before starting HDCT/ASCT. The role of HDCT/ASCT in pediatric patients with GCTs should be investigated in prospective trials.

Consanguinity and childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia: a case-control study

Background

Consanguineous marriage is widely practised across the world. Its effect on acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) is controversial as both parents share some of the genes which might increase the incidence of sharing recessive genes. However, other theories suggest that consanguinity might have a protective factor as it does for other types of cancers. This study aims to study childhood ALL and consanguinity.

Methods

This is a case-control study, conducted in the major paediatric hospital in Damascus, Syria, using medical records. Case group included children with ALL, while control group included other patients and were matched by gender and age.

Results

This study comprised 386 patients, 193 of which were cases. Overall, 136 were of consanguineous marriages (36.8%), and there was no difference in consanguinity overall between cases and controls. However, when only comparing non-consanguineous parents and fourth-degree consanguinity, fourth degree was significantly higher among case group, suggesting a negative correlation OR = 0.387 (0.187–0.801) in contrast to third-degree consanguinity which was no significantly different when comparing the two groups (p > 0.05). We found no significant association between ALL and having a family history of cancer (p > 0.05) or between parents’ educational level and case-control groups (p > 0.05).

Conclusion

Our research suggests a negative association between fourth-degree consanguinity and childhood leukaemia. This was not observed with a third-degree consanguinity. Previous studies had contradicting data on consanguinity and ALL which demonstrates the need for further research.

Survival and long-term socioeconomic consequences of childhood and adolescent onset of brain tumours

AIM

To evaluate survival distributions, long-term socioeconomic consequences, and health care costs in patients with childhood and adolescent onset of brain tumours in a Danish nationwide prospective cohort study.

METHOD

A search of national registries identified 2283 patients (1198 males, 1085 females; mean age 9 years 6 months [SD 5 years 7 months]) diagnosed with a brain tumour between 1980 and 2015 and aged no older than 18 years at diagnosis. These were compared with sex-, age-, and residency-matched comparison individuals. Patients with malignant tumours were compared with those with benign tumours. Survival distributions were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method and hazard ratio by the Cox proportional hazard model. Socioeconomic data at age 20 and 30 years were assessed.

RESULTS

The probability of mortality was highest during the first year after tumour diagnosis. In young adulthood, the patients were generally less likely to be married, had lower grade-point averages, educational levels, and income, were less likely to be in employment, and had higher health care costs than comparison individuals. Patients with malignant tumours had worse outcomes with respect to education, employment, and health care costs than those with benign tumours.

INTERPRETATION

A diagnosis of brain tumour in childhood and adolescence adversely affects survival and has negative long-term socioeconomic consequences, especially in patients with malignant tumours. These patients require continuous social support.

Late effects care for childhood brain Tumor Survivors: A Quality-Improvement Initiative

Childhood and adolescent brain tumor survivors are at risk for long-term consequences of therapy. We reviewed adherence to long-term follow-up (LTFU) guidelines, assessed provider perspectives, and studied the needs, experience and quality of life (QOL) of pediatric malignant brain tumor survivors in the McMaster Children's Hospital Neuro-Oncology clinic. LTFU areas for improvement were evaluated using an anonymous health provider needs assessment questionnaire. The Cancer Care Experience Questionnaire (CCEQ), Cancer Worry Scale (CWS), Self-Management Skills Scale (SMSS), and PedsQL measured parents/patients' needs and QOL. Individual care plans were based on the Children's Oncology Group (COG) LTFU guidelines. Based on 17 responses, staff perceived areas for improvement included: increased multi-disciplinary participation, improved patient education and increased surveillance for therapy-related late effects. Thirty-two families participated, most felt they received high-quality care. Mean cancer worry scores were low (71.8 (± 28.4)). Survivors reported limited self-management skills (58.5 (±18.2)), requiring support with medical needs and activities of daily living. Overall median QOL scores were 'good' (parental report 72.3 (±17.7), survivor 68.2 (±16.6)). Utilizing survivorship guidelines and assessments from patients, caregivers and health providers, we implemented improvements in our provision of neuro-oncology survivorship care. Lessons learned may assist other LTFU programs.

Cardiac Dysfunction in Medulloblastoma Survivors Treated with Photon Irradiation

Background

Medulloblastoma is an aggressive central nervous system (CNS) tumor that occurs mostly in the pediatric population. Treatment often includes a combination of surgical resection, craniospinal irradiation (CSI) and chemotherapy. Children who receive standard photon CSI are at risk for cardiac toxicities including coronary artery disease, left ventricular scarring and dysfunction, valvular damage, and atherosclerosis. Current survivorship guidelines recommend routine echocardiogram (ECHO) surveillance. In this multi-institution study, we describe markers of cardiac dysfunction in medulloblastoma survivors.

Methods

A retrospective chart review of medulloblastoma patients who had photon beam CSI followed by ECHO between 1980 and 2010 at Lurie Children’s Hospital and Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Hospital.

Results

During the 30-year study period, 168 medulloblastoma patient records were identified. Included in this study were the 75 patients who received CSI or spinal radiation and ECHO follow up. The mean age at CSI was 8.6 years (range, 2.9-20), and the mean number of years between radiation (RT) completion and first ECHO was 7.4 (range, 2-16). Mean ejection fraction (EF) was 60.0% and shortening fraction (SF) was 33.8%. Five patients (7%) had abnormal ECHO results: three with EF &lt;50% and two with SF &lt;28%.

Conclusion

Majority of medulloblastoma patients who received CSI have relatively normal ECHOs post treatment, however 7% of patients had abnormal ECHOs. The implication of our study for medulloblastoma survivors is that further investigations are needed in this populations with a more systematic, longitudinal assessment to determine predictors and screenings.

IKZF1 Rs4132601 Polymorphism and Susceptibility to Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia in Children: A Meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Many studies have shown that IKAROS family zinc finger 1 (IKZF1) rs4132601 polymorphism is strongly linked to acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in children, but their conclusions have been inconsistent.

OBJECTIVE

This meta-analysis is set out to investigate the association between IKZF1 rs4132601 polymorphism and its susceptibility to childhood ALL.

DATA AND METHODS

On the basis of inclusion criteria, PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, CNKI, China Wanfang, VIP, and other databases were searched from the time of the establishment of the library database to December 2019 for all case-control studies. Stata 15.0 was applied for meta-analysis to calculate the combined odds ratio (OR) value and 95% confidence interval (CI) of each genotype at IKZF1 rs4132601. Subgroup analysis done by ethnicity, sensitivity analysis, and publication bias assessment was further performed.

RESULTS

Nine pieces of literature was included in this meta-analysis, including 2281 children with ALL and 2923 controls. There were significant differences in the allelic model (T vs. G: combined OR=0.75, 95% CI: 0.68-0.82, P<0.05) in both Asian and Caucasian children. In addition to this, there were statistically significant differences in the dominant, homozygous and heterozygous genetic model in both Asian and Caucasian children. The difference was significant in the recessive genetic model (TT vs. TG+GG: combined OR=0.75, 95% CI: 0.67-0.84) in Caucasian children, but not in Asian children (combined OR=0.85, 95% CI: 0.70-1.04, P>0.05).

CONCLUSION

There is a strong correlation between IKZF1 rs4132601 polymorphism and ALL in children. Compared with the G allele, T alleles can lower the risk of childhood ALL, and TT, TT+TG and TG genotypes can also reduce the risk of ALL in children.

The Use of Nanomedicine to Target Signaling by the PAK Kinases for Disease Treatment

P21-activated kinases (PAKs) are serine/threonine kinases involved in the regulation of cell survival, proliferation, inhibition of apoptosis, and the regulation of cell morphology. Some members of the PAK family are highly expressed in several types of cancer, and they have also been implicated in several other medical disorders. They are thus considered to be good targets for treatment of cancer and other diseases. Although there are several inhibitors of the PAKs, the utility of some of these inhibitors is reduced for several reasons, including limited metabolic stability. One way to overcome this problem is the use of nanoparticles, which have the potential to increase drug delivery. The overall goals of this review are to describe the roles for PAK kinases in cell signaling and disease, and to describe how the use of nanomedicine is a promising new method for administering PAK inhibitors for the purpose of disease treatment and research. We discuss some of the basic mechanisms behind nanomedicine technology, and we then describe how these techniques are being used to package and deliver PAK inhibitors.

Genetic determinants of blood-cell traits influence susceptibility to childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common childhood cancer. Despite overlap between genetic risk loci for ALL and hematologic traits, the etiological relevance of dysregulated blood-cell homeostasis remains unclear. We investigated this question in a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of childhood ALL (2,666 affected individuals, 60,272 control individuals) and a multi-trait GWAS of nine blood-cell indices in the UK Biobank. We identified 3,000 blood-cell-trait-associated (p < 5.0 × 10-8) variants, explaining 4.0% to 23.9% of trait variation and including 115 loci associated with blood-cell ratios (LMR, lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio; NLR, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio; PLR, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio). ALL susceptibility was genetically correlated with lymphocyte counts (rg = 0.088, p = 4.0 × 10-4) and PLR (rg = -0.072, p = 0.0017). In Mendelian randomization analyses, genetically predicted increase in lymphocyte counts was associated with increased ALL risk (odds ratio [OR] = 1.16, p = 0.031) and strengthened after accounting for other cell types (OR = 1.43, p = 8.8 × 10-4). We observed positive associations with increasing LMR (OR = 1.22, p = 0.0017) and inverse effects for NLR (OR = 0.67, p = 3.1 × 10-4) and PLR (OR = 0.80, p = 0.002). Our study shows that a genetically induced shift toward higher lymphocyte counts, overall and in relation to monocytes, neutrophils, and platelets, confers an increased susceptibility to childhood ALL.

CD16xCD33 Bispecific Killer Cell Engager (BiKE) as potential immunotherapeutic in pediatric patients with AML and biphenotypic ALL

Similar to pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML) the subgroup of biphenotypic acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a rare complex entity with adverse outcome, characterized by the surface expression of CD33. Despite novel and promising anti-CD19 targeted immunotherapies such as chimeric antigen receptor T cells and bispecific anti-CD19/CD3 antibodies, relapse and resistance remain a major challenge in about 30% to 60% of patients. To investigate the potential role of the fully humanized bispecific antibody CD16 × CD33 (BiKE) in children with CD33⁺ acute leukemia, we tested whether the reagent was able to boost NK cell effector functions against CD33⁺ AML and biphenotypic ALL blasts. Stimulation of primary NK cells from healthy volunteers with 16 × 33 BiKE led to increased cytotoxicity, degranulation and cytokine production against CD33⁺ cell lines. Moreover, BiKE treatment significantly increased degranulation, IFN-γ and TNF-α production against primary ALL and AML targets. Importantly, also NK cells from leukemic patients profited from restoration of effector functions by BiKE treatment, albeit to a lesser extent than NK cells from healthy donors. In particular, those patients with low perforin and granzyme expression showed compromised cytotoxic function even in the presence of BiKE. In patients with intrinsic NK cell deficiency, combination therapy of CD16xCD33 BiKE and allogeneic NK cells might thus be a promising therapeutic approach. Taken together, CD16xCD33 BiKE successfully increased NK cell effector functions against pediatric AML and biphenotypic ALL blasts and constitutes a promising new option for supporting maintenance therapy or “bridging” consolidation chemotherapy before hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

The lncRNA TEX41 is upregulated in pediatric B-Cells Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and it is necessary for leukemic cell growth

Background

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) represent a diverse class of RNAs involved in the regulation of various physiological and pathological cellular processes, including transcription, intracellular trafficking, and chromosome remodeling. LncRNAs deregulation was linked to the development and progression of various cancer types, such as acute leukemias. In this context, lncRNAs were also evaluated as a novel class of biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and prognosis. Here, we analyzed TEX41 in childhood B cell acute lymphoid leukemia (B-ALL).

Methods

Total RNA was extracted from pediatric B-ALL patients (at diagnosis and after induction of therapy) and from healthy subjects. Total RNA was also extracted from different leukemia cell line models. The expression level of TEX41 was evaluated by q-RT-PCR. Also, the dataset deposited by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital was consulted. Furthermore, the silencing of TEX41 in RS4;11 cell line was obtained by 2′-Deoxy, 2′Fluroarabino Nucleic Acids (2′F-ANAs) Oligonucleotides, and the effect on cell proliferation was evaluated. Cell cycle progression and its regulators were analyzed by flow cytometry and immunoblotting.

Results

We exploited the St Jude Cloud database and found that TEX41 is a lncRNA primarily expressed in the case of B-ALL (n = 79) while its expression levels are low/absent for T-cell ALL (n = 25) and acute myeloid leukemia (n = 38). The association of TEX41 with B-ALL was confirmed by real-time PCR assays. TEX41 disclosed increased expression levels in bone marrow from patients with B-ALL at diagnosis, while its expression levels became low or absent when retested in Bone Marrow cells of the same patient after 1 month of induction therapy. Also, silencing experiments performed on RS4;11 cells showed that TEX41 downregulation impaired in vitro leukemic cell growth determining their arrest in the G2-M phase and the deregulation of cell cycle proteins.

Conclusions

Our findings highlight that TEX41 is an upregulated lncRNA in the case of B-ALL and this feature makes it a novel potential biomarker for the diagnosis of this leukemia subtype in pediatric patients. Finally, TEX41 expression seems to be critical for leukemic proliferation, indeed, silencing experiments targeting TEX41 mRNA in the RS4;11 cell line hampered in vitro cell growth and cell cycle progression, by inducing G2-M arrest as confirmed propidium iodide staining and by the upregulation of p53 and p21 proteins.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40364-021-00307-7.

Cancer incidence and survival trends among infants in the United States from 1975 to 2014

BACKGROUND

Cancer among infants (<1 year old) has unique epidemiologic, clinical, and genetic characteristics compared with cancer in older children. Nonetheless, data on secular trends in infant cancer incidence and survival in the United States is sparse.

METHODS

Population-based data from nine areas of the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) were used to estimate the incidence, average annual percentage change (APC) for trends, and survival of malignant neoplasm among infants from 1975 to 2014. Data were stratified by gender, race, registry, and cancer type.

RESULTS

There were 3437 new infant cancer cases with an overall incidence of 23.6/100 000. Neuroblastoma was the most common infant malignancy (6.5/100 000), followed by leukemia (3.8/100 000), and brain and central nervous system tumors (3.3/100 000). The incidence rate increased significantly from 1975 to 2014 (APC 0.68; 95% CI 0.30-1.06; P < .05). Variations in overall incidence rates were uneven across SEER registry geographic areas, with the lowest rates among both males and females in New Mexico. Relative to other racial distribution, infant cancer rates were highest among Whites. The relative survival rates improved over time for all tumors except for renal, sarcomas, and germ cells and were not significantly different by gender or race.

CONCLUSIONS

Cancer incidence among infants increased over time largely driven by leukemia, germ cell, and sarcoma mainly among male infants. The overall survival for infant cancer has improved over the past 40 years, especially since 1990 for hepatic tumors, lymphoma, and leukemia. Further research is needed to explore the potential impacts of genetic, environmental, and perinatal factors for possible explanations for these increased cancer incidence trends.

A global, regional, and national survey on burden and Quality of Care Index (QCI) of brain and other central nervous system cancers; global burden of disease systematic analysis 1990-2017

Primary brain and other central nervous system (CNS) cancers cause major burdens. In this study, we introduced a measure named the Quality of Care Index (QCI), which indirectly evaluates the quality of care given to patients with this group of cancers. Here we aimed to compare different geographic and socioeconomic patterns of CNS cancer care according to the novel measure introduced. In this regard, we acquired age-standardized primary epidemiologic measures were acquired from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study 1990-2017. The primary measures were combined to make four secondary indices which all of them indirectly show the quality of care given to patients. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) method was utilized to calculate the essential component named QCI. Further analyses were made based on QCI to assess the quality of care globally, regionally, and nationally (with a scale of 0-100 which higher values represent better quality of care). For 2017, the global calculated QCI was 55.0. QCI showed a desirable condition in higher socio-demographic index (SDI) quintiles. Oppositely, low SDI quintile countries (7.7) had critically worse care quality. Western Pacific Region with the highest (76.9) and African Region with the lowest QCIs (9.9) were the two WHO regions extremes. Singapore was the country with the maximum QCI of 100, followed by Japan (99.9) and South Korea (98.9). In contrast, Swaziland (2.5), Lesotho (3.5), and Vanuatu (3.9) were countries with the worse condition. While the quality of care for most regions was desirable, regions with economic constraints showed to have poor quality of care and require enforcements toward this lethal diagnosis.

Endoglin Expression and Microvessel Density as Prognostic Factors in Pediatric Rhabdomyosarcoma

(1) Background: The study proposed to analyze microvessel density (MVD) in rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) based on the expression of angiogenesis markers and define its prognostic role in this group of patients. (2) Methods: The study included forty-nine pediatric patients diagnosed with RMS. Tumor tissue expression of CD31, CD34, and CD105 was analyzed. MVD was calculated and correlated with clinical RMS prognostic parameters. (3) Results: CD31, CD34, and CD105 are expressed in all RMS cases. MVD/CD105 was significantly higher in the RMS group than in the control group. The mean and median values of MVD/CD105 in RMS were lower than MVD/CD31 and MVD/CD34. MVD/CD105 was significantly higher in patients with alveolar RMS and those with metastatic disease. Patients with higher levels of MVD/CD105 had a higher risk of death (HR = 1.009). (4) Conclusion: CD105 is a relevant angiogenesis marker in pediatric RMS, and MVD/CD105 is an independent risk factor of short overall survival in children with RMS.

Cancer health disparities in racial/ethnic minorities in the United States

There are well-established disparities in cancer incidence and outcomes by race/ethnicity that result from the interplay between structural, socioeconomic, socio-environmental, behavioural and biological factors. However, large research studies designed to investigate factors contributing to cancer aetiology and progression have mainly focused on populations of European origin. The limitations in clinicopathological and genetic data, as well as the reduced availability of biospecimens from diverse populations, contribute to the knowledge gap and have the potential to widen cancer health disparities. In this review, we summarise reported disparities and associated factors in the United States of America (USA) for the most common cancers (breast, prostate, lung and colon), and for a subset of other cancers that highlight the complexity of disparities (gastric, liver, pancreas and leukaemia). We focus on populations commonly identified and referred to as racial/ethnic minorities in the USA-African Americans/Blacks, American Indians and Alaska Natives, Asians, Native Hawaiians/other Pacific Islanders and Hispanics/Latinos. We conclude that even though substantial progress has been made in understanding the factors underlying cancer health disparities, marked inequities persist. Additional efforts are needed to include participants from diverse populations in the research of cancer aetiology, biology and treatment. Furthermore, to eliminate cancer health disparities, it will be necessary to facilitate access to, and utilisation of, health services to all individuals, and to address structural inequities, including racism, that disproportionally affect racial/ethnic minorities in the USA.

Trends in Cancer Incidence in US Adolescents and Young Adults, 1973-2015

IMPORTANCE

Previous studies have demonstrated that adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer are a distinct cancer population; however, research on long-term epidemiological trends and characteristics of cancers in AYAs is lacking.

OBJECTIVE

To characterize the epidemiology of cancer in AYAs aged 15 to 39 years with respect to (1) patient demographic characteristics, (2) frequencies of cancer types, and (3) cancer incidence trends over time.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This retrospective, serial cross-sectional, population-based study used registry data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database from January 1, 1973, to December 31, 2015 (SEER 9 and SEER 18). The study population was from geographically distinct US regions, chosen to represent the racial and ethnic heterogeneity of the country. Initial analyses were performed from January 1 to August 31, 2019.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Incidence rates and descriptive epidemiological statistics for patients aged 15 to 39 years with invasive cancer.

RESULTS

A total of 497 452 AYAs diagnosed from 1973 to 2015 were included in this study, with 293 848 (59.1%) female and 397 295 (79.9%) White participants. As AYAs aged, an increase in the relative incidence of carcinomas and decrease in the relative incidence of leukemias, lymphomas, germ cell and trophoblastic neoplasms, and neoplasms of the central nervous system occurred. Among the female AYAs, 72 564 (24.7%) were diagnosed with breast carcinoma; 48 865 (16.6%), thyroid carcinoma; and 33 828 (11.5%), cervix and uterus carcinoma. Among the male AYAs, 37 597 (18.5%) were diagnosed with testicular cancer; 20 850 (10.2%), melanoma; and 19 532 (9.6%), non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The rate of cancer in AYAs increased by 29.6% from 1973 to 2015, with a mean annual percentage change (APC) per 100 000 persons of 0.537 (95% CI, 0.426-0.648; P < .001). Kidney carcinoma increased at the greatest rate for both male (APC, 3.572; 95% CI, 3.049-4.097; P < .001) and female (APC, 3.632; 95% CI, 3.105-4.162; P < .001) AYAs.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

In this cross-sectional, US population-based study, cancer in AYAs was shown to have a unique epidemiological pattern and is a growing health concern, with many cancer subtypes having increased in incidence from 1973 to 2015. Continued research on AYA cancers is important to understanding and addressing the distinct health concerns of this population.

Team approach: Management of osteonecrosis in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia

With current treatments for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the overall prognosis for survival is favorable. Increasing emphasis is placed on recognizing and managing the long-term consequences of ALL and its treatment, particularly involving osteonecrosis. Early osteonecrosis diagnosis and management may improve outcomes and is best accomplished through coordinated teams that may include hematologic oncologists, radiologists, orthopedic surgeons, physical therapists, and the patient and their family. Magnetic resonance imaging is the "gold standard" for diagnosis of early-stage and/or multifocal osteonecrosis. Treatments for osteonecrosis in ALL patients are risk stratified and may include observation, corticosteroid or chemotherapy adjustment, and pharmaceutical or surgical approaches.

MicroRNA Signatures in Blood or Bone Marrow Distinguish Subtypes of Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

OncomiRs are microRNAs that are associated with early onset of specific cancers. To identify microRNAs involved in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) subtypes T-ALL and B-ALL, peripheral blood and bone marrow samples were independently subjected to microarray analysis using two different high-fidelity array platforms. The unique and common gene signatures from both arrays were validated by TaqMan individual assays in 100 pediatric ALL samples. Survival studies were carried out in the test set and validation set with 50 randomly selected samples in each set. MicroRNA expression profile revealed characteristic signatures for distinguishing T and B lineages and identified 51 novel microRNAs in pediatric ALL. Interestingly, the present study also revealed endogenous similarities and differences between blood and bone marrow within each ALL subtype. When Cox regression analysis was carried out with these identified microRNAs, 11 of them exhibited expression levels significantly correlated with survival. Validation of some of the common and relevant microRNAs from both arrays showed that their targets are involved in key oncogenic signaling pathways. Thus, this study suggests that microRNAs have the potential to become important diagnostic tools for identification and monitoring clinical outcomes in ALL patients.

Prognostic Value of Circulating IGFBP2 and Related Autoantibodies in Children with Metastatic Rhabdomyosarcomas

Insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 2 (IGFBP2) is a tumor-associated protein measurable in patients’ biopsies and blood samples. Increased IGFBP2 expression correlates with tumor severity in rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS). Thus, we examined the plasmatic IGFBP2 levels in 114 RMS patients and 15 healthy controls by ELISA assay in order to evaluate its value as a plasma biomarker for RMS. Additionally, we looked for the presence of a humoral response against IGBFP2 protein measurable by the production of anti-IGFBP2 autoantibodies. We demonstrated that both circulating IGFBP2 protein and autoantibodies were significantly higher in RMS patients with respect to controls and their combination showed a better discriminative capacity. IGFBP2 protein identified metastatic patients with worse event-free survival, whereas both IGFBP2 and anti-IGFBP2 antibodies negatively correlated with overall survival. Our study suggests that IGFBP2 and anti-IGFBP2 antibodies are useful for diagnostic and prognostic purposes, mainly as independent negative prognostic markers in metastatic patients. This is the first study that reports a specific humoral response in RMS plasma samples and proves the value of blood-based biomarkers in improving risk assessment and outcome of metastatic RMS patients.

Whole-Body Diffusion-Weighted MRI Compared to 18 FFDG PET/CT in Initial Staging and Therapy Response Assessment of Hodgkin Lymphoma in Pediatric Patients

PURPOSE

The aim of our study was to compare whole-body diffusion-weighted MRI (WB-DWI-MRI) to fluoro-2-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) in the assessment of initial staging and treatment response in pediatric patients with Hodgkin lymphoma.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This prospective study comprised 11 children with Hodgkin lymphoma. Whole-body DWI-MRI and FDG-PET/CT were obtained at baseline and after 2 cycles of chemotherapy. Two radiologists measured the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of the sites of involvement agreed upon in consensus and 1 nuclear medicine physician assessed the PET/CT. Reliability of radiologists' ratings was assessed by intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC_2,1). The sensitivity and positive predictive value (PPV) of DW-MRI relative to PET/CT were calculated for nodal and extranodal sites. The patients were staged according to both modalities. Association of treatment responses was assessed through the Pearson correlation between the ADC ratios and the change standardized uptake value (SUV) between baseline and follow-up.

RESULTS

There was good agreement between the raters for nodal and extranodal ADC measurements. The sensitivity and PPV of DW-MRI relative to PET/CT of nodal disease was 0.651 and 1.0, respectively, at baseline, and 0.697 and 0.885 at follow-up. The sensitivity and PPV of extranodal disease were 0.545 and 0.6 at baseline, and 0.167 and 0.333 at follow-up. Diffusion-weighted MRI determined correct tumor stage in 8 of 11 examinations. There was poor correlation between the ADC ratios and the absolute change in SUV between baseline and follow-up (0.348).

CONCLUSION

Our experience showed that WB-DWI-MRI is inferior to PET/CT for initial staging and assessment of treatment response of Hodgkin lymphoma in pediatric patients.

KCTD15 is overexpressed in human childhood B-cell acute lymphoid leukemia

Leukemic cells originate from the malignant transformation of undifferentiated myeloid/lymphoid hematopoietic progenitors normally residing in bone marrow. As the precise molecular mechanisms underlying this heterogeneous disease are yet to be disclosed, the identification and the validation of novel actors in leukemia is of extreme importance. Here, we show that KCTD15, a member of the emerging class of KCTD ((K)potassium Channel Tetramerization Domain containing) proteins, is strongly upregulated in patients affected by B-cell type acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) and in continuous cell lines (RS4;11, REH, TOM-1, SEM) derived from this form of childhood leukemia. Interestingly, KCTD15 downregulation induces apoptosis and cell death suggesting that it has a role in cellular homeostasis and proliferation. In addition, stimulation of normal lymphocytes with the pokeweed mitogen leads to increased KCTD15 levels in a fashion comparable to those observed in proliferating leukemic cells. In this way, the role of KCTD15 is likely not confined to the B-ALL pathological state and extends to activation and proliferation of normal lymphocytes. Collectively, data here presented indicate that KCTD15 is an important and hitherto unidentified player in childhood lymphoid leukemia, and its study could open a new scenario for the identification of altered and still unknown molecular pathways in leukemia.

Upfront Therapies and Downstream Effects: Navigating Late Effects in Childhood Cancer Survivors in the Current Era

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

As survival rates of those diagnosed with childhood cancer improve over time, the number of long-term survivors continues to grow. Advances have not only been made in the upfront treatment of childhood cancer, but also in the identification and treatment of late complications that may arise as a result of the chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or surgical interventions required to provide a cure.

RECENT FINDINGS

As new therapies emerge that are often more targeted to cancerous cells while sparing healthy tissues, the hope is that cure can be achieved without the same long-term side effects for survivors. However, much is unknown regarding how these novel interventions will impact patients in the years to come. It is critical that we continue to follow patients treated with new modalities in order to identify and treat the long-term complications that may arise in future childhood cancer survivors.

Intracranial Hemorrhage in Childhood Acute Leukemia: Incidence, Characteristics, and Contributing Factors

BACKGROUND

Among all cancers, hematologic malignancy has the highest rate of intracranial hemorrhage. However, there are limited data on intracranial hemorrhage in childhood acute leukemia. We aimed to determine the incidence, characteristics, and factors associated with intracranial hemorrhage in children with acute leukemia.

METHODS

We reviewed a database of patients aged one month to 15 years diagnosed with acute leukemia during 2003 to 2016 at a hospital in Thailand. Characteristics of patients with intracranial hemorrhage were compared with those of patients without intracranial hemorrhage. Multiple logistic regression was used to determine the associated factors. We performed survival analyses to compare survival and hazard ratios between groups.

RESULTS

There were 494 children with acute leukemia (acute lymphoblastic leukemia 367, acute myelogenous leukemia 127). Median age was 4.9 years (interquartile range 3.0 to 9.2). Follow-up duration was 2.1 years. Intracranial hemorrhage occurred in 12 patients whose median age was 12.5 years (interquartile range 7.5 to 13.3). Incidence rate of intracranial hemorrhage was 6.2 (acute lymphoblastic leukemia 5.1, acute myelogenous leukemia 12.9) per 1000 person-years. Case fatality rate of intracranial hemorrhage was 75%. Patients with early intracranial hemorrhage had prolonged international normalized ratio and higher white blood cell count, whereas patients with late intracranial hemorrhage had more concurrent systemic infections. Most cases of intracranial hemorrhage were intraparenchymal with perihematomal edema. Median survival was 24 days in the intracranial hemorrhage group compared with four years in the non-intracranial hemorrhage group. Risk of death from intracranial hemorrhage was 3.2 times higher than that of the non-intracranial hemorrhage group. Age at diagnosis, initial white blood cell count, and lactate dehydrogenase were associated with increased risk of intracranial hemorrhage.

CONCLUSIONS

Intracranial hemorrhage was common and often fatal in children with acute leukemia. Potential contributing factors differed by intracranial hemorrhage timing. Older age, white blood cell count, and lactate dehydrogenase were associated with high risk of intracranial hemorrhage.

Prenatal Exposure to Air Toxics and Malignant Germ Cell Tumors in Young Children

OBJECTIVE

To assess prenatal air toxics exposure and risk for childhood germ cell tumors (GCTs) by histological subtype (yolk sac tumor and teratoma).

METHODS

In this case-control study, GCT cases less than 6 years (n = 243) identified from California Cancer Registry records were matched by birth year to cancer-free population controls (n = 147,100), 1984 to 2013. Routinely monitored air toxic exposures were linked to subjects' birth address. Logistic regression estimated GCT risks per interquartile range increase in exposure.

RESULTS

Prenatal exposure to various highly-correlated, traffic-related air toxics during the second trimester increased GCT risk, particularly 1,3-butadiene (odds ratio [OR] = 1.51; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.01, 2.26) and meta/para-xylene (OR = 1.56; 95% CI = 1.10, 2.21). Analyses by subtype indicated elevated ORs for yolk sac tumors but not teratomas.

CONCLUSION

Our estimated ORs are consistent with positive associations between some prenatal traffic-related air toxics and GCT risk, notably yolk sac tumors.

Novel intronic DICER1 variation associated with pleuropulmonary blastoma in two siblings

Pleuropulmonary blastomas (PPB) are rare aggressive paediatric lung malignancies associated with DICER1 variants. We present two cases, a 2-year-old girl with upper respiratory tract symptoms as well as a 6-month-old girl sibling undergoing screening due to family history of malignancy. Imaging of the 2-year-old girl revealed a large mass filling the right hemithorax which was determined to be a type II PPB after pathological examination. Imaging of the 6-month-old sibling demonstrated a small cystic lesion in the posterior basal segment of the right lower lobe which was determined to be a type 1r PPB after pathological examination. The 2-year-old girl received adjuvant chemotherapy while the baby sister underwent resection alone and both are alive and well at 12 months and 7 months, respectively. Sequence analysis in both cases confirmed the same DICER1 variation, c.2437-2A>G (likely pathogenic), which has not been previously described in the literature.

NK Cells as Possible Prognostic Factor in Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Deficiency or impaired function natural killer (NK) cells might result in the development of serious infections and promote the development of malignancies. The aim of our study was to assess the prognostic role of NK cell percentage in bone marrow on the day of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) diagnosis. 84 children (49 males = 58%; median age 5 yrs) with ALL were enrolled. The NK cell percentage was assessed using flow cytometry with antibodies against the cluster of differentiation (CD): CD3, CD56, and CD16. We evaluated two groups: group I (NK+), patients with NK cells in the bone marrow (n = 74), and group II (NK-), patients without NK cells in the bone marrow (n = 10) (cut-off value of negative <1%). In the patients from group I, the prednisone good response on day 8 and the remission on day 15 of treatment were observed significantly more often (p = .01, p = .03). The children from group I had significantly better survival as compared to those from group II (p = .02) (HR 2.59; 95% CI: 1.38-4.85). The presence of NK cells in the bone marrow at diagnosis can be a prognostic factor in children with ALL. The presented results should be the basis for further research.

GSTT1 Null Genotype and Susceptibility to Children Acute Leukemia in Chinese Population: Evidence from a Meta-Analysis

Objectives:

Increasing number of studies has focused on studying the relationship between glutathione S-transferase T1 polymorphism and children acute leukemia, among which discrepancies have risen. The aim of this study is to provide a more exact assessment of glutathione S-transferase T1 polymorphism and children acute leukemia among certain Chinese population.

Methods:

Studies were identified using PubMed, Springer Link, Ovid, Chinese Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure and Chinese Biology Medicine from beginning to July 2018. The strength of association was quantified by pooling odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals using fixed-effect or random-effect model according to the heterogeneity.

Results:

Overall, a positive relationship was found in null genotype of glutathione S-transferase T1 polymorphism on the risk of childhood acute leukemia among all Chinese populations (odds ratios: 1.52; 95% confidence intervals = 1.19-1.94). Similarly, consistent results were found in subgroup of Southern China (odds ratios: 1.48; 95% confidence intervals: 1.08-2.02), Northern China (odds ratios: 1.59; 95% confidence intervals: 1.09-2.33), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (odds ratios: 1.61; 95% confidence intervals: 1.19-2.17), “age > 18 years” (odds ratios: 1.59; 95% confidence intervals: 1.09-2.33), “age < 18 years” (odds ratios: 1.48; 95% confidence intervals: 1.08-2.02), and population-based studies (odds ratios: 1.60; 95% confidence intervals: 1.16-2.20).

Conclusions:

Collectively, finding from the current study indicated that GSTT1 null polymorphism may be susceptible on childhood acute leukemia among Chinese.

The who, when, and why of primary adrenal malignancies: Insights into the epidemiology of a rare clinical entity

BACKGROUND

Primary malignancies of the adrenal glands are rare. Epidemiologic assessment of primary adrenal malignancies is lacking and has been limited to case reports and series. Population-level data can provide a better understanding of the incidence, distribution, and prognostic factors associated with these rare malignancies.

METHODS

The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database (1973-2013) was queried for all patients who were diagnosed with primary adrenal malignancies, categorized in 5 histologic groups: adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC), pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma (PH), neuroblastoma (NE), non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), and sarcoma (SA). Age-adjusted incidence, distribution trends, and cancer-specific survival (CSS) for each group were analyzed.

RESULTS

In total, 4695 patients with primary adrenal malignancies were identified, including 2057 with ACC, 512 with PH, 1863 with NE, 202 with NHL, and 61 with SA. The age-adjusted incidence of all 5 histologic subtypes was rising. Age at presentation differed substantially by histologic group: NE was the most prevalent during the first decade of life, whereas ACC predominated after age 30 years, and NHL outnumbered PH after age 70 years. Patient-specific factors were not associated with advanced disease at the time of presentation. The 5-year CSS rate for each histologic subtype was 38% for ACC, 69% for PH, 64% for NE, 38% for NHL, and 42% for SA. Survival outcomes for patients with ACC, NHL, PH and SA remained unchanged over the 40-year study period. Multimodal therapy was associated with higher CSS in patients with NE.

CONCLUSIONS

This first population-level analysis of all primary adrenal malignancies provides important initial data regarding presentation and clinical outcomes. Notably, except for patients with NE, the survival of patients with these rare cancers has not improved over the past 40 years.

Therapeutic Approaches Targeting PAX3-FOXO1 and Its Regulatory and Transcriptional Pathways in Rhabdomyosarcoma

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a family of soft tissue cancers that are related to the skeletal muscle lineage and predominantly occur in children and young adults. A specific chromosomal translocation t(2;13)(q35;q14) that gives rise to the chimeric oncogenic transcription factor PAX3-FOXO1 has been identified as a hallmark of the aggressive alveolar subtype of RMS. PAX3-FOXO1 cooperates with additional molecular changes to promote oncogenic transformation and tumorigenesis in various human and murine models. Its expression is generally restricted to RMS tumor cells, thus providing a very specific target for therapeutic approaches for these RMS tumors. In this article, we review the recent understanding of PAX3-FOXO1 as a transcription factor in the pathogenesis of this cancer and discuss recent developments to target this oncoprotein for treatment of RMS.

Alteration of Serum Free Fatty Acids are Indicators for Progression of Pre-leukaemia Diseases to Leukaemia

Acute Leukaemia (AL) is a neoplasm of WBCs (white blood cells). Being an important class of metabolites, alteration in free fatty acids (FFAs) levels play a key role in cancer development and progression. As they involve in cell signaling, maintain membrane integrity, regulate homeostasis and effect cell and tissue functions. Considering this fact, a comprehensive analysis of FFAs was conducted to monitor their alteration in AL, pre-leukaemic diseases and healthy control. Fifteen FFAs were analyzed in 179 serum samples of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), aplastic anemia (APA), acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) and healthy control using gas chromatography-multiple reaction monitoring-mass spectrometry (GC-MRM-MS). A multivariate statistical method of random forest (RF) was employed for chemometric analysis. Serum level of two FFAs including C18:0 and C14:0 were found discriminative among all five groups, and between ALL and AML, respectively. Moreover, C14:0 was identified as differentiated FFAs for systematic progression of pre-leukaemic conditions towards AML. C16:0 came as discriminated FFAs between APA and MDS/AML. Over all it was identified that FFAs profile not only become altered in leukaemia but also in pre-leukaemic diseases.

Expression of Disialoganglioside (GD2) in Neuroblastic Tumors: A Prognostic Value for Patients Treated With Anti-GD2 Immunotherapy

Neuroblastoma, a malignant neoplasm of the sympathetic nervous system, is one of the most aggressive pediatric cancers. Patients with stage IV high-risk neuroblastoma receive an intensive multimodal therapy ending with an immunotherapy based on a chimeric monoclonal antibody ch14.18. Although the use of ch14.18 monoclonal antibody has significantly increased the survival rate of high-risk neuroblastoma patients, about 33% of these patients still relapse and die from their disease. Ch14.18 targets the disialoganglioside, GD2, expressed on neuroblastic tumor (NT) cells. To better understand the causes of tumor relapse following ch14.18 immunotherapy, we have analyzed the expression of GD2 in 152 tumor samples from patients with NTs using immunohistochemical stainings. We observed GD2 expression in 146 of 152 samples (96%); however, the proportion of GD2-positive cells varied among samples. Interestingly, low percentage of GD2-positive cells before immunotherapy was associated with relapse in patients receiving ch14.18 immunotherapy. In addition, we demonstrated in vitro that the sensitivity of neuroblastoma cell lines to natural killer-mediated lysis was dependent on the proportion of GD2-positive cells, in the presence of ch14.18 antibody. In conclusion, our results indicate that the proportion of tumor cells expressing GD2 in NTs should be taken in consideration, as a prognostic marker, for high-risk neuroblastoma patients receiving anti-GD2 immunotherapy.

Incidence and Survival Cancer Trends in Children and Adolescents in the Provinces of Florence and Prato (Central Italy), 1985–1997

Aims and background

The incidence of childhood and adolescent cancers has been increasing during the last decades in most Western countries. Improvements in cancer survival rates have also been observed according to the availability of more efficient therapies.

Methods and study design

A total of 518 cancer cases (age, 0–19 years) incident in the period 1985–1997 in the Tuscany Cancer Registry area, corresponding to the Provinces of Florence and Prato (Central Italy), were analyzed. Incidence rates and estimated annual percentage change were computed according to sex, 5-year age groups and diagnostic groups of the International Classification for Childhood Cancer. All patients were actively followed at 31.12.1998, and 5-year survival rates were computed for cases diagnosed in 1985–1990 and 1991–1997.

Results

Overall age-standardized incidence rates were 186.7/106 for males and 175.4 for females. In 1991–1997, standardized incident rates were 50.8 for leukemias, 44.6 for lymphomas, and 34.3 for CNS tumors. There was a marked increasing trend for lymphomas that grew at a yearly rate of +12.1% and less evident increasing tendency for leukemias, CNS tumors and carcinomas. The overall survival rate was 88% at one year, 78% at 3 years, and 74% at 5 years. A slight improving tendency in survival was evident over time.

Conclusions

The study pointed out that in the examined area, during 1985–1997, there was a significant increasing incidence trend for lymphomas. Survival rates were as high as in other Western countries – evidence of the high level of diagnostic and treatment services in the area.

Epidemiological review of childhood cancers in central Sudan

Background: Epidemiological studies of paediatric cancer incidence in Sudan are rare.Objectives: The aim of this study was to provide baseline information about the epidemiology of childhood cancers in patients treated at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in Wad Medani, Sudan.Methods: We performed a retrospective health facility–based study of cancer incidence and patient characteristics of children who were treated at the NCI from January 1999 to December 2015. The changing patterns of cancers incidence during the study period were also recorded.Results: Of 15 387 new patients with cancer who were registered at the NCI during the study period, 1159 (7.5%) were children (younger than 15 years). The mean age of the paediatric patients was 7 years, with standard deviation of 5. Most of the patients (36%) were 10 to 15 years old, 33% were 0 to 4 years old and 31% were 5 to 10 years old. Among the study population, 60% were males and 40% were females. Approximately 76% of children lived in rural areas in Sudan. Leukaemias (29%) and lymphomas (26%) comprised 55% of all paediatric cancers. Central nervous system (CNS) tumours constituted 6% of all paediatric tumours, whereas non-CNS embryonal tumours (i.e. nephroblastoma, neuroblastoma, hepatoblastoma and retinoblastoma) accounted for 20%. The average number of cases per year increased from 42 in 1999–2005 to 75 in 2006–2010 and 106 in 2011–2015.Conclusion: The number of patients seeking treatment for childhood cancers has increased every year in central Sudan. Leukaemias and lymphomas constitute more than half of these cancers. A population-based cancer registry is needed to determine the true incidence of childhood cancers in Sudan.

Do pregnancy characteristics contribute to rising childhood cancer incidence rates in the United States?

BACKGROUND

Since 1975, childhood cancer incidence rates have gradually increased in the United States; however, few studies have conducted analyses across time to unpack this temporal rise. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that increasing cancer incidence rates are due to secular trends in pregnancy characteristics that are established risk factors for childhood cancer incidence including older maternal age, higher birthweight, and lower birth order. We also considered temporal trends in sociodemographic characteristics including race/ethnicity and poverty.

PROCEDURE

We conducted a time series county-level ecologic analysis using linked population-based data from Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results cancer registries (1975-2013), birth data from the National Center for Health Statistics (1970-2013), and sociodemographic data from the US Census (1970-2010). We estimated unadjusted and adjusted average annual percent changes (AAPCs) in incidence of combined (all diagnoses) and individual types of cancer among children, ages 0-4 years, from Poisson mixed models.

RESULTS

There was a statistically significant unadjusted temporal rise in incidence of combined childhood cancers (AAPC = 0.71%; 95% CI = 0.55-0.86), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (0.78%; 0.49-1.07), acute myeloid leukemia (1.86%; 1.13-2.59), central nervous system tumors (1.31%; 0.94-1.67), and hepatoblastoma (2.70%; 1.68-3.72). Adjustment for county-level maternal age reduced estimated AAPCs between 8% (hepatoblastoma) and 55% (combined). However, adjustment for other county characteristics did not attenuate AAPCs, and AAPCs remained significantly above 0% in models fully adjusted for county-level characteristics.

CONCLUSION

Although rising maternal age may account for some of the increase in childhood cancer incidence over time, other factors, not considered in this analysis, may also contribute to temporal trends.

Successful First Gait of a Child With Hip-Disarticulation Prosthesis

An infant boy underwent hip disarticulation for infantile fibrosarcoma immediately after birth. His rehabilitation began when he was 4 mos old and involved training with his left (residual) leg. He could stand with support at 12 mos. His initial prosthesis fitting was performed at the age of 13 mos. He could stand and walk with support at 15 mos of age and could walk with no additional support and go up and down stairs at 2 yrs. A single-axis prosthetic knee joint was introduced at the age of 2 yrs 3 mos. His first gait using a hip prosthesis was successful, and his prosthesis was replaced at appropriate intervals with no major problems. The authors believe that the key to achieving a successful prosthetic gait in children is good communication among the medical team, which should comprise an orthopedic doctor, rehabilitation doctor, nurse, physical therapist, prosthetist/orthotist, and the patient's parents.

Clinical Impact of Genomic Information in Pediatric Leukemia

Pediatric leukemia remains a significant contributor to childhood lethality rates. However, recent development of new technologies including next-generation sequencing (NGS) has increased our understanding of the biological and genetic underpinnings of leukemia, resulting in novel diagnostic and treatment paradigms. The most prevalent pediatric leukemias include B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). These leukemias are highly heterogeneous, both clinically and genetically. There are multiple genetic subgroups defined by the World Health Organization, each with distinct clinical management. Clinical laboratories have started adopting genomic testing strategies to include high-throughput sequencing assays which, together with conventional cytogenetic techniques, enable optimal patient care. This review summarizes genetic and genomic techniques used in clinical laboratories to support management of pediatric leukemia, highlighting technical, biological, and clinical advances. We illustrate clinical utilities of comprehensive genomic evaluation of leukemia genomes through clinical case examples, which includes the interrogations of hundreds of genes and multiple mutation mechanisms using NGS technologies. Finally, we provide a future perspective on clinical genomics and precision medicine.

Increased risk of brain cancer incidence in stroke patients: a clinical case series, population-based and longitudinal follow-up study

Stroke and brain cancer are two distinct diseases. However, the relationship between both diseases has rarely been examined. This study investigated the longitudinal risk for developing brain cancer in stroke patients. To study this, we first reviewed the malignant gliomas previously with or without stroke using brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images and the past histories. Two ischemic stroke patients before the malignant glioma were identified and belonged to the glioblastoma mutiforme (GBM). Particularly, both GBM specimens displayed strong hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) expression in immunohistochemical (IHC) staining. To elucidate the significance of this relationship, we then used a nationwide population-based cohort in Taiwan to investigate the risk for the incidence of brain cancer in patients previously with or without stroke. The incidence of all tumors in the stroke group was lower than that in the control group with an adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of 0.79 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.74-0.84) in both gender and age older than 60 years. But the stroke patients had higher risk of developing only brain cancer with an adjusted HR of 3.09 (95% CI: 1.80-5.30), and otherwise had lower risk of developing head and neck, digestive, respiratory, bone and skin, as well as other tumors, all with p<0.05. After stratification by gender and age, the female and aged 40-60 year old stroke patients had higher risk of developing brain cancer with an adjusted HR of 7.41 (95% CI: 3.30-16.64) and 16.34 (95% CI: 4.45-62.13), respectively, both with p<0.05. Patients with stroke, in particular female and age 40-60 years old, have an increased risk for developing brain cancer.

The methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase 677T-1298C haplotype is a risk factor for acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children

The etiology of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is complex, linked with both environmental exposures and genetic factors. Functional variants of the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene result in disturbance in folate metabolism and may affect susceptibility to cancer. The study was performed to evaluate whether MTHFR C677T and A1298C polymorphisms, analyzed separately and together, are associated with the development of ALL in a population under 18 years of age of Caucasian ancestry.The study included 117 pediatric patients (59% males, mean age at diagnosis 7.4 ± 5.2 years) with ALL, confirmed by conventional immunophenotyping surface-marker analysis and 404 healthy control subjects (48.5% men, mean age 37.7 ± 11.3 years). The MTHFR C677T and A1298C genotypes were analyzed using allele discrimination tests with Taq-Man fluorescent probes.The MTHFR 677TT genotype was related to a 2-fold increase in risk of ALL (P = .014). The 677T-1298C haplotype was found in ALL patients but not in controls (frequency 0.598%; P <.0001). The observed frequency of carriers of this rare haplotype was 12%, including 677CT/1298CC (1.7%), 677TT/1298AC (6.0%), and 677CT/1298AC (4.3%) genotypes.The MTHFR 677T allele alone or in combination with the MTHFR 1298C allele significantly increases the risk of development of ALL in Polish population under 18 years of age. Further studies of haplotype composition in subjects with the 677CT/1298AC genotype are necessary to assess the risk of childhood ALL.

Severe pegaspargase hypersensitivity reaction rates (grade ≥3) with intravenous infusion vs. intramuscular injection: analysis of 54,280 doses administered to 16,534 patients on children's oncology group (COG) clinical trials

PEGylated asparaginase (pegaspargase) can be administered via intramuscular (IM) injection or intravenous (IV) infusion with a hypersensitivity reaction (HSR) incidence ranging 3-41%. We evaluated grade ≥3 HSRs when given IM vs. IV on six Children's Oncology Group (COG) leukemia trials (2003-2015) to determine differences in HSR rates. 54,280 doses were administered to 16,534 patients. Considering all doses of pegaspargase during induction, consolidation, and delayed intensification, grade ≥3 HSR rate with IM injection was 5.4% (n = 482/8981) compared to 3.2% for IV (n = 245/7553) (p < .0001). If only the second and third doses of pegaspargase were analyzed, where the majority of grade ≥3 HSRs occur, the rate following IM injection was 10.1% (n = 459/4534) compared to 5.0% (n = 222/4443) for IV (p < .0001). On standardized treatment protocols conducted by the COG during 2003-2015, grade ≥3 HSR rates to pegaspargase occurred less frequently with IV infusion than IM injection.

Exercise interventions for patients with pediatric cancer during inpatient acute care: A systematic review of literature

Physical inactivity has been shown to exacerbate negative side effects experienced by pediatric patients undergoing cancer therapy. Exercise interventions are being created in response. This review summarizes current exercise intervention data in the inpatient pediatric oncology setting. Two independent reviewers collected literature from three databases, and analyzed data following the PRISMA statement for systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Ten studies were included, representing 204 patients. Good adherence, positive trends in health status, and no adverse events were noted. Common strategies included individual, supervised, combination training with adaptability to meet fluctuating patient abilities. We recommend that general physical activity programming be offered to pediatric oncology inpatients.