Pediatric blood & cancer
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Pediatric blood & cancer · Feb 2008
Case ReportsNeuroblastoma presenting with dilated cardiomyopathy.
We report an infant with neuroblastoma who presented with dilated cardiomyopathy. A 3-month-old girl presented with dilated cardiomyopathy diagnosed as stage III neuroblastoma. ⋯ Cardiomyopathy was normalized by improvement of neuroblastoma. The prompt improvement of cardiac function following treatment of neuroblastoma suggested that cardiomyopathy in this patient was caused by the increase in catecholamines secreted by neuroblastoma and that reduction in catecholamines by treatment of neuroblastoma led to improvement in the cardiomyopathy.
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Pediatric blood & cancer · Feb 2008
A phase II study of imatinib mesylate in children with refractory or relapsed solid tumors: a Children's Oncology Group study.
Imatinib mesylate is a small molecule inhibitor of certain tyrosine kinases, most notably the chimeric bcr-abl fusion protein found in CML. It also inhibits KIT and PDGF receptor tyrosine kinases in vitro. Ewing sarcoma, osteosarcoma, neuroblastoma, desmoplastic small round cell, and synovial sarcomas often overexpress KIT or the PDGF receptor. A phase II study of imatinib in children and young adults with select solid tumors was performed. ⋯ Imatinib as a single agent at a dose of 440 mg/m(2)/day demonstrated little or no activity as a single agent in children with relapsed or refractory Ewing sarcoma, osteosarcoma, neuroblastoma, or desmoplastic small round cell tumors.
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This report evaluated the association between surviving pediatric cancer and receiving a diagnosis of a stress-related mental disorder (SRMD) (i.e., post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), acute stress disorder, or adjustment disorders). ⋯ Given the potential benefit of interventions for those with prior psychopathology, that children are less likely to verbalize emotional problems, and the detrimental implications of undiagnosed mental disorders, the health evaluations of childhood cancer patients and the follow-up visits for the survivors should incorporate assessment for mental disorders, especially SRMD.
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Pediatric blood & cancer · Jan 2008
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyComparison of results of a pilot study of alternating vincristine/doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide and etoposide/ifosfamide with IRS-IV in intermediate risk rhabdomyosarcoma: a report from the Children's Oncology Group.
Over 50% of patients with rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) have intermediate risk disease, with a 3-year failure-free survival (FFS) of 50%-70% depending on histology. Doxorubicin is active against RMS, but its role in improving outcome remains controversial. Ifosfamide is as active as cyclophosphamide in RMS, with the Fourth Intergroup RMS Study (IRS-IV) showing equivalent outcomes for patients treated with ifosfamide for the first 28 weeks compared to cyclophosphamide. Treatment with alternating cycles of non-cross-resistant chemotherapy has been used in a number of diseases with good results. ⋯ VDC/IE is as effective therapy for intermediate risk RMS as IRS-IV therapy. It is being explored along with irinotecan in relapsed patients and newly diagnosed high-risk patients.