Pediatric blood & cancer
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Pediatric blood & cancer · Jan 2008
Employment status among adult survivors in the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study.
With increased cure, childhood cancer survivors are reaching adulthood and seeking employment. Host, disease and treatment risk factors may contribute to inability to attain or maintain employment. ⋯ Compared to siblings, adult childhood cancer survivors are at increased risk for unemployment with highest risk defined by diagnosis, treatment and demographic factors.
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Pediatric blood & cancer · Jan 2008
Liver biopsy results in patients with sickle cell disease on chronic transfusions: poor correlation with ferritin levels.
Chronic transfusions are effective in preventing stroke and other complications of sickle cell disease. The aim of this study was to determine whether serum ferritin levels correlated with liver iron content in sickle cell patients on chronic transfusion. ⋯ We found a poor correlation between serum ferritin levels and liver iron content (LIC). Despite being on chelation therapy, many patients on chronic transfusion had high levels of liver iron. Measurement of LIC is highly recommended in these patients.
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Pediatric blood & cancer · Jan 2008
Impact of proximity to comprehensive sickle cell center on utilization of healthcare services among children with sickle cell disease.
The impact of comprehensive care on utilization of healthcare services by children with sickle cell disease (SCD) has not been fully evaluated. We compared the medical care utilization and mortality in children less than 20 years of age with SCD in four regions in the state of Tennessee with and without a comprehensive sickle cell center (CSCC). ⋯ No clear pattern of improved utilization of medical care services were identified in relation to proximity of residence to a CSCC. This cohort was not large enough to detect small differences in death rates. In addition, other outcomes that incorporate quality of life measures may be more sensitive to differences in medical care.
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Pediatric blood & cancer · Dec 2007
Comparative StudyA comparative analysis of functional outcomes in adolescents and young adults with lower-extremity bone sarcoma.
Comparison of functional mobility and quality of life is performed in patients with lower-extremity bone sarcoma following either amputation, limb-sparing surgery, or rotationplasty with four different types of outcome measures: (1) an objective functional mobility measure that requires patients to physically perform specific tasks, functional mobility assessment (FMA); (2) a clinician administered tool, Musculoskeletal Tumor Society Scale (MSTS); (3) a patient questionnaire, Toronto Extremity Salvage Scale (TESS); and (4) a health-related quality of life (HRQL) measure, Short Form-36 version 2 (SF-36v.2). ⋯ In adolescents with lower-extremity bone sarcoma, it may be advantageous to consider the use of a combination of outcome measures, including the FMA, for objective functional mobility assessment along with the TESS for a subjective measure of disability and the SF-36v.2 for a quality-of-life measure.