Paediatric palliative care: why transfuse?

Should indication for transfusion in paediatric palliative care be based on the child's perspective rather than the biological results? An 8-year-old boy presenting a relapse of a stage IV neuroblastoma received regular blood transfusions. A severe exophtalmia led the doctors to question the transfusion strategy. Over 7.5 months, the child received 56 red blood cell units and 31 platelet units. He was hospitalised 50 times. Indication for blood test and transfusion may be regularly and collegially reassessed. Transfusion needs in a palliative strategy can be as high as in a curative strategy. Practices, benefits but also ethical and public health dimensions should be more studied.

MBCL-29. PHASE I/II STUDY OF SEQUENTIAL HIGH-DOSE CHEMOTHERAPY WITH STEM CELL SUPPORT IN CHILDREN YOUNGER THAN 5 YEARS OF AGE WITH HIGH-RISK MEDULLOBLASTOMA

PURPOSE

To assess the 3-year EFS rate of children younger than 5 years of age with high-risk medulloblastoma (MB) treated according to the prospective multicenter trial HR MB-5.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

After surgery, all children received 2 cycles of Etoposide- Carboplatine. If partial (PR) or complete response (CR) was achieved after induction chemotherapy, children received 2 courses of thiotepa (600mg/m²) with stem cell rescue. For patients in CR after high-dose chemotherapy, they received one course of Cyclophosphamide – Busilvex with stem cell rescue (Phase I part). The others patients (not in PR after induction or in CR after thiotepa) were treated with 2 cycles of Temozolomide-Irinotecan followed by age-adapted craniospinal irradiation and maintenance treatment.

RESULTS

28 children (2 to 4 years; median: 3.0 years) were enrolled. Group 3 MB were most common (57%). The response rate to Etoposide-Carboplatine was 60.7%. Among 20 patients treated with Thiotepa, 13 children were in CR and received Cyclophosphamide – Busilvex without radiotherapy. Out of them, 9 patients (45%) are alive in CR without craniospinal irradiation (median follow-up 5 years). Among 15 patients treated with radiotherapy, 8 patients are alive (median follow-up 3.8 years). The study was prematurely stopped for an excess of events. The median follow-up was 4 years (range 1.5 - 6.1). The 3-year EFS and OS were 42.3% [25.9 - 60.6] and 71.3% [52.7 - 84.7], respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

This risk-adapted strategy did not improve EFS in young children with high-risk MB. However, the study shows that good responders to chemotherapy can be cured without recourse to irradiation.