Pediatric blood & cancer
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Pediatric blood & cancer · Oct 2006
Multicenter StudyResults of a phase II trial testing interferon-alpha 2b and cytarabine in children and adolescents with chronic myelogenous leukemia.
Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is a rare disease in children and only few data are available concerning the results of interferon based therapy in this age group. Before the imatinib mesylate era, a prospective phase II trial was conducted to assess the efficacy and tolerance of a combination of interferon-alpha 2b (IFN) and cytarabine in children with CML in first chronic phase without a suitable HLA-identical donor. ⋯ The combination of IFN and cytarabine provides hematologic and cytogenetic responses in children and adolescents with CML. In the imatinib mesylate era, the role of this combination as second line therapy in children with CML remains to be determined.
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Pediatric blood & cancer · Oct 2006
Comparative StudyProlongation of the prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time in children with sickle cell disease.
Patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) have high rates of perioperative complications, including bleeding 1,2. ⋯ Children with SCD admitted for surgical procedures were more likely to have prolonged PTs than those tested at a well visit. There was intra-patient variability in coagulation studies that may be related to clinical status, hepatocellular dysfunction, and/or increased clotting factor consumption. Future well-designed prospective studies to determine whether abnormal coagulation studies are associated with an increased risk of perioperative bleeding in children with SCD are necessary.