Pediatric blood & cancer
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Pediatric blood & cancer · Aug 2013
Multicenter Study Clinical TrialPedsQL™ sickle cell disease module: feasibility, reliability, and validity.
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited chronic disease that is characterized by complications such as recurrent painful vaso-occlusive events that require frequent hospitalizations and contribute to early mortality. The objective of the study was to report on the initial measurement properties of the new PedsQL™ SCD Module for pediatric patient self-report ages 5-18 years and parent proxy-report for ages 2-18 years. ⋯ The PedsQL™ SCD Module demonstrated acceptable measurement properties. The PedsQL™ SCD Module may be utilized in the evaluation of SCD-specific health-related quality of life in clinical research and practice. In conjunction with the PedsQL™ Generic Core Scales and the PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale, the PedsQL™ SCD Module will facilitate the understanding of the health and well-being of children with SCD.
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Pediatric blood & cancer · Jul 2013
The first step to integrating the child's voice in adverse event reporting in oncology trials: a content validation study among pediatric oncology clinicians.
Children with cancer experience significant toxicities while undergoing treatment. Documentation of adverse events (AEs) in clinical trials is mandated by federal agencies. Although many AEs are subjective, the current standard is clinician reporting. Our long-term goal is to create and validate a self-report measure of subjective AEs for children aged 7 years and older that will inform AE reporting for the National Cancer Institute's Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE). This content validation study aimed to identify which of the AEs in the current CTCAE should be included in a pediatric self-report measure. ⋯ The 64 CTCAE terms will be translated into child-friendly terms as the basis of the child-report toxicity measure. Ultimately, systematic collection of these data will improve care by enhancing the accuracy and completeness of treatment toxicity reports for childhood cancer.
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Pediatric blood & cancer · Jul 2013
Mental health disorders influence admission rates for pain in children with sickle cell disease.
Patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) experience a broad range of mental health disorders placing them at risk for more complicated hospitalizations for pain. The current study examined the impact of mental health disorders on admission rates and hospital length of stay (LOS) for vaso-occlusive pain events (VOE) in pediatric patients with SCD. ⋯ Pediatric patients with SCD and a history of a mental health diagnosis have longer LOS and higher admission rates for management of VOE. Ultimately, these findings suggest that mental health pose a challenge to the management of sickle cell pain.
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Pediatric blood & cancer · Jun 2013
ReviewChildren's Oncology Group's 2013 blueprint for research: renal tumors.
Renal malignancies are among the most prevalent pediatric cancers. The most common is favorable histology Wilms tumor (FHWT), which has 5-year overall survival exceeding 90%. Other pediatric renal malignancies, including anaplastic Wilms tumor, clear cell sarcoma, malignant rhabdoid tumor, and renal cell carcinoma, have less favorable outcomes. ⋯ Upcoming studies will evaluate therapy adjustments based on this and other novel biomarkers. For high-risk renal tumors, new treatment regimens will incorporate biological therapies. A research blueprint, viewed from the perspective of the Children's Oncology Group, is presented.
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Pediatric blood & cancer · Jun 2013
ReviewChildren's Oncology Group's 2013 blueprint for research: central nervous system tumors.
In the US, approximately 2,500 children are diagnosed annually with brain tumors. Their survival ranges from >90% to <10%. For children with medulloblastoma, the most common malignant brain tumor, 5-year survival ranges from >80% (standard-risk) to 60% (high-risk). ⋯ Sixty-five percent patients with ependymoma are cured after surgery and radiation therapy depending on the degree of resection and histopathology of the tumor. Phase II trials for brain tumors will investigate agents that act on cMET, PDGFRA, or EZH2 in HGG, DIPG, or medulloblastoma, respectively. Phase III trials will explore risk-based therapy stratification guided by molecular and clinical traits of children with medulloblastoma or ependymoma.