Articles related to Pediatrics

Shawna McCafferty, MD, a US Navy Veteran and a pediatrician in Charleston, South Carolina, provides a glimpse into her role as a “terrified and angry” doctor and mother seeing kids suffer from this latest wave and ultimately asking the question, “…exactly how much child death and devastation is acceptable?”  

Reference Source: JAMA Network OpenDesign: Retrospective study of 8,953 patients from the National Cancer Database; compared the use of definitive treatment between 2004 and 2014 of 1,280 young adults (YAs, aged 18-39 years); 3,937 patients aged 40-64 years; and 3,756 patients age 65+.Results: Amputation – 8.1% (YAs), 5.5% (40-64), 5.3% (65+). Chemotherapy – 39.4% (YAs), 29.5% (40-64), 9.3% (65+). Radiation – 59.3% (YAs), 69.1% (40-64), 63.4% (65+). Unique to young adults, clinical stage II disease vs. stage I disease and positive surgical margins were not associated with the use of radiation.

About 75% to 80% of children with pediatric AML have clonal, acquired, somatic cytogenetic abnormalities (CAs) detected. Hematology Advisor briefs the information originally appearing in Genes, which reviews the current knowledge on evaluating pediatric patients based on cytogenetics and molecular subtypes to help match patients to risk-adapted therapies.

Source: Blood AdvancesKey Points: In a cohort of 154 patients with NHL or MM receiving CAR T-cells, clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) was present in 48%. Although associated with worse prognosis in these patients receiving autologous transplantation, no such association was seen in these patients receiving CAR T. Instead, the authors saw increased rates of complete response and cytokine release syndrome severity in the younger than 60 population. However, there was no difference in progression-free or overall survival, regardless of age. Design: Cohort review of 154 patients with NHL or MM receiving CAR T-cells

Often undiagnosed due to its unspecific symptoms, hereditary angioedema (HAE) is a tricky condition that causes many patients unnecessary suffering with unnecessary surgeries and invasive diagnostic/therapeutic interventions. Read on to educate yourself on some of the alarming numbers on the orphan disease.   

It was time for a change in neuroblastoma treatment planning, and this Original Report from the Journal of Clinical Oncology validates a revised classifier using the International Neuroblastoma Risk Group Staging System (INRGSS) while incorporating segmental chromosome aberrations (SCA) as an additional genomic biomarker.