Pediatric blood & cancer
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Pediatric blood & cancer · Jul 2008
Impact of childhood cancer on parental employment and sources of income: a Canadian pilot study.
Loss of income and out of pocket expenses related to childhood cancer care can account for over 25% of a family's total disposable income, adding to the stress of facing a life-threatening disease. The objective of this pilot study was to assess the impact of childhood cancer on employment and sources of income within families. ⋯ It appears that the diagnosis of childhood cancer may cause an important but short-term impact on the employment and income sources of affected families.
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Pediatric blood & cancer · Jun 2008
Case ReportsCafé-au-lait macules and pediatric malignancy caused by biallelic mutations in the DNA mismatch repair (MMR) gene PMS2.
A 14-year-old male presented with a T4 sigmoid adenocarcinoma, <10 colonic adenomas and multiple café-au-lait macules. Family history was not suggestive of a dominant hereditary form of colorectal cancer. ⋯ Germline analysis identified biallelic PMS2 missense mutations. A new cancer syndrome caused by biallelic mutations in the mismatch repair genes, including PMS2, is now emerging and is characterized by café-au-lait macules, colonic polyps and a distinctive tumor spectrum.
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Pediatric blood & cancer · May 2008
ReviewRegistration and classification of adolescent and young adult cancer cases.
Cancer registries are an important research resource that facilitate the study of etiology, tumor biology, patterns of delayed diagnosis and health planning needs. When outcome data are included, registries can track secular changes in survival related to improvements in early detection or treatment. The surveillance, epidemiology, and end results (SEER) registry has been used to identify major gaps in survival for older adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients compared with younger children and older adults. ⋯ The central registration and classification issues for AYAs are case-finding, defining common data elements (CDE) collected across different registries and the diagnostic classification of these malignancies. Goals to achieve by 2010 include extending and validating current diagnostic classification schemes and expanding the CDE to support AYA oncology research, including the collection of tracking information to assess long-term outcomes. These efforts will advance preventive, etiologic, therapeutic, and health services-related research for this understudied age group.
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The fundamental purposes underlying formal health care transition from the pediatric to adult setting for young adult survivors of childhood cancer are to facilitate the continuous, medically and developmentally appropriate implementation of risk-based guidelines for the monitoring and management of late effects of childhood cancer and its treatment; and to support the normal maturational processes involved with growing from childhood to adulthood. To achieve these, this article identifies specific goals and action items in the following key areas: Models of Transitional Care, Survivor/Family Education, Post-Transitional Care Outcomes, Education of Health Care Professionals, and Health Care Policy and Advocacy.