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.
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Pediatric blood & cancer · Sep 2006
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialHospital and home chemotherapy for children with leukemia: a randomized cross-over study.
The study objective was to compare a hospital-based and a home-based chemotherapy program for children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in relation to Quality of Life (QOL), safety, caregiver burden, and costs. ⋯ With few differences noted between groups, these results indicate preliminary support for administrating some or all of a child's chemotherapy at home. Home chemotherapy was associated with specific improvements and decrements in parent reported QOL. No effects were seen on burden of care, adverse events, or cost. Overall, young age adversely affected QOL, burden of care, and adverse events. These data provide important information to families and caregivers as they consider home or hospital-based therapy in childhood ALL.
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Pediatric blood & cancer · Sep 2006
Case ReportsAllogeneic bone marrow transplantation with reduced intensity conditioning for chronic granulomatous disease complicated by invasive Aspergillus infection.
Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) is a rare disorder characterized by recurrent infections, often resulting in impaired quality of life and death. Allogeneic BMT provides a definitive cure for CGD, but carries a significant risk of mortality and morbidity. ⋯ Reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) is associated with less toxicity from the conditioning agents and may provide an alternative option for all non-malignant diseases. We report a case of successful allogeneic BMT after RIC for a case of X-linked CGD complicated by severe invasive aspergillosis (IA).
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Pediatric blood & cancer · Sep 2006
Case ReportsSolitary bone plasmocytoma of the spine in an adolescent.
Solitary plasmocytoma (SP) represent only about 5% of plasma cell neoplasia. Most patients have generalized disease, that is, multiple myeloma (MM). Solitary bone plasmocytoma (SBP) is a localized plasma cell tumor and is a very rare disease in young patients. ⋯ Radiotherapy with doses of 45-50 Gy is the recommended treatment and gives a high rate of local control (83-96%). Chemotherapy remains controversial in contrast to MM, in which intensive chemotherapy with autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT) is widely accepted. At the present time, considering the good prognosis of patients with a normal MRI at diagnosis and a complete disappearance of the M protein after radiotherapy, we believe that ABMT should be reserved for relapse or primary therapeutic failure.