Understanding the Experience of Cancer Survivorship Among Pediatric and Adolescent Cancer Survivors and Their Parents Through Camera Lenses: A Photovoice Study.

Objective: Although the relative survival rate of childhood cancer has increased substantially in recent years, the pursuit of successful outcomes is often accompanied by negative impacts on pediatric and adolescent cancer survivors and their parents' physical and psychological well-being. However, little is known about their experiences during the period of cancer survivorship. This study aimed to gain an understanding of the experience of cancer survivorship among pediatric and adolescent cancer survivors and their parents.

CD9 shapes glucocorticoid sensitivity in pediatric B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Resistance to glucocorticoids (GC), the common agents for remission induction in pediatric B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL), poses a significant therapeutic hurdle. Therefore, dissecting the mechanisms shaping GC resistance could lead to new treatment modalities. Here, we showed that CD9- BCP-ALL cells were preferentially resistant to prednisone and dexamethasone over other standard cytotoxic agents.

Causes of death and treatment-related mortality in newly diagnosed childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia treatment with Chinese Children's Cancer Group study ALL-2015.

To investigate the possible risk factors for death at post-treatment in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). A multivariate competing risk analysis was performed to retrospectively analyze the data of children with ALL who died after treatment with CCCG-ALL-2015 in China and to determine the possible risk factors for death at post-treatment in children with ALL. Age at the first diagnosis of ≥10 years; final risk level of high-risk; D19 minimal residual disease (MRD) (≥0.

The use of traditional, complementary and integrative medicine in Chinese adolescent and young adult patients with cancer: A multicenter cross-sectional study.

Purpose: Adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients with cancer often experience unique physical and psychosocial complications. They may turn to traditional, complementary and integrative medicines (TCIM) to address these concerns. To examine the pattern of TCIM use among AYA patients with cancer and explored their preferences regarding TCIM education.

The incidence, risk factors, and outcomes of symptomatic avascular necrosis of bone among Chinese pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Background: Avascular necrosis (AVN) of bone is a debilitating complication of pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). While it is extensively studied and reported in Western population, studies focused on Orientals are limited. This study aims to evaluate the incidence, risk factors, and clinical outcomes of AVN among Chinese children with ALL.

A prospective multicenter study on varicella-zoster virus infection in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Background And Methods: The study evaluated prognostic factors associated with varicella-zoster virus (VZV) infection and mortality in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) using data from the multicenter Chinese Children's Cancer Group ALL-2015 trial.

Results: In total, 7,640 patients were recruited, and 138 cases of VZV infection were identified. The incidence of VZV infection was higher in patients aged ≥ 10 years (22.

Provision of a personalized survivorship care plan and its impact on cancer-related health literacy among childhood cancer survivors in Hong Kong.

Purpose: To evaluate the short-term effectiveness of a personalized survivorship care plan (SCP) in improving cancer-related literacy among childhood cancer survivors, and to identify characteristics of survivors who demonstrated minimal gain from the intervention.

Methods: We recruited survivors diagnosed with cancer at ≤18 years old and were >2 years post treatment. The intervention included a personalized SCP and 30-minute health risk counseling.

Integrating Complementary Medicine Into the Care of Childhood Cancer Survivors: A Brief Report on the Preliminary Framework and Implementation of an Educational Program.

Background: Existing educational programs typically include limited information on traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine (TCIM) for survivors of childhood cancer.

Objectives: This brief report presents the preliminary results of an educational program that aims to promote the safe and effective use of Chinese medicine (CM) among survivors in Hong Kong.

Methods: Survivors of childhood cancer, their caregivers, and oncology practitioners were invited to participate in a program that consists of two didactic seminars and a written educational booklet that disseminated information on the use of CM.

Pharmacogenomic Profiling of Pediatric Acute Myeloid Leukemia to Identify Therapeutic Vulnerabilities and Inform Functional Precision Medicine.

Unlabelled: Despite the expanding portfolio of targeted therapies for adults with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), direct implementation in children is challenging due to inherent differences in underlying genetics. Here we established the pharmacologic profile of pediatric AML by screening myeloblast sensitivity to approved and investigational agents, revealing candidates of immediate clinical relevance. Drug responses ex vivo correlated with patient characteristics, exhibited age-specific alterations, and concorded with activities in xenograft models.

Medication Burden Among Pediatric Cancer Survivors: Analysis of a Population-Wide Electronic Database in Hong Kong.

Background: Few studies have evaluated the medication burden borne by survivors of pediatric cancer. This study aimed to describe the drug utilization pattern of chronic medications in a cohort of young pediatric cancer survivors.

Methods: This was a population-based study of patients diagnosed with cancer at age 18 years or younger between 2000 and 2013 in Hong Kong and who had survived at least 5 years postdiagnosis.

R4 RGS proteins as fine tuners of immature and mature hematopoietic cell trafficking.

G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the largest and most diverse group of membrane receptors. They are involved in almost every physiologic process and consequently have a pivotal role in an extensive number of pathologies, including genetic, neurologic, and immune system disorders. Indeed, the vast array of GPCRs mechanisms have led to the development of a tremendous number of drug therapies and already account for about a third of marketed drugs.

Treatment Adherence and Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Hemophilia in Hong Kong.

Background: This study aims to identify factors affecting health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in Chinese patients with hemophilia in Hong Kong, and to examine the association between treatment adherence and HRQoL outcomes. Methods: Patients with hemophilia A or B from a non-governmental organization reported their HRQoL and treatment adherence to prophylactic therapy using validated tools. Univariate tests and multivariable regression analysis were used to compare differences in outcomes across clinically relevant subgroups.

Outcome prediction of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in children.

We evaluated the feasibility of existing risk assessment tools for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in children. Fifty-five patients with newly diagnosed CML between 1996 and 2019 were included. Forty-nine patients presented in chronic phase, thirty-six of whom were treated with upfront tyrosine kinase inhibitor (CP-TKI group); one presented in accelerated phase and four in blastic phase.

A scoping review of nausea, vomiting and retching measurement methods in children with cancer.

Evaluation of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) in the pediatric population is subject to diverse approaches. This scoping review summarizes the methods used in clinical studies that assessed nausea, vomiting or retching in children with cancer. We conducted a literature search of studies indexed in EMBASE and Ovid MEDLINE after 2000.

HLA alleles associated with asparaginase hypersensitivity in Chinese children.

Asparaginase is an important drug to treat childhood haematological malignancies. Data on the association between human leukocyte antigens (HLA) and asparaginase hypersensitivity among Chinese are lacking. We conducted a retrospective study to identify HLA alleles associated with asparaginase hypersensitivity among Chinese children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), mixed phenotype leukaemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), who received asparaginases with HLA typing performed between 2009 and 2019.

Perceptions of Infertility Risk Among Chinese Parents of Children with Cancer: A Qualitative Study.

Anticancer treatment may be associated with damage to the reproductive organs and risk of infertility in children with cancer. The collectivist cultural norms of Asian societies may lead Chinese parents to have unique concerns regarding infertility. This qualitative study explored the perceptions of infertility risk and parenthood among parents of childhood cancer survivors in Hong Kong.

R4 RGS proteins suppress engraftment of human hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells by modulating SDF-1/CXCR4 signaling.

Homing and engraftment of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) into the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment are tightly regulated by the chemokine stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) and its G-protein-coupled receptor C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4), which on engagement with G-protein subunits, trigger downstream migratory signals. Regulators of G-protein signaling (RGS) are GTPase-accelerating protein of the Gα subunit and R4 subfamily members have been implicated in SDF-1-directed trafficking of mature hematopoietic cells, yet their expression and influence on HSPCs remain mostly unknown. Here, we demonstrated that human CD34+ cells expressed multiple R4 RGS genes, of which RGS1, RGS2, RGS13, and RGS16 were significantly upregulated by SDF-1 in a CXCR4-dependent fashion.

Transition from Acute Treatment to Survivorship: Exploring the Psychosocial Adjustments of Chinese Parents of Children with Cancer or Hematological Disorders.

Objectives: Parents of children diagnosed with critical illnesses face multiple challenges during their caregiving experience. However, relevant studies have been limited in the Chinese context. Guided by the stress and coping model, we conducted a qualitative study to identify the stressors, coping strategies, and adjustment experiences of Hong Kong parents of children with cancer or hematological disorders.

Awareness of diagnosis, treatment and risk of late effects in Chinese survivors of childhood cancer in Hong Kong.

Background: For survivors of childhood cancer, awareness of personal health risks is a critical component of long-term health management.

Objective: To evaluate the awareness of the diagnosis, treatment and risk of late effects among survivors of childhood cancer in Hong Kong.

Methods: Between June 2019 and March 2020, this cross-sectional study recruited 155 adult survivors (mean age = 26.

CD9 blockade suppresses disease progression of high-risk pediatric B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia and enhances chemosensitivity.

CD9 has been implicated in cancer progression but its prognostic relevance and therapeutic potential in B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL) are largely unknown. In a cohort of pediatric BCP-ALL patients, we found that CD9 cases had a significantly lower 5-year relapse-free survival rate than CD9 cases. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that CD9 positivity independently predicted inferior survival outcomes, and could be applied with established prognostic features, including prednisone response and cytogenetic status, to refine patient stratification.

Acute Leukemia in Down Syndrome Children in Hong Kong: Retrospective Review.

Background: Children with Down syndrome (DS) are at higher risk of developing acute leukemia. Treatment continues to evolve as we accumulate better understanding of the distinctive clinical and biological features of acute leukemia in DS patients.

Procedure: A retrospective review of the clinical features, treatment outcomes, and survival of DS children with acute leukemia in Hong Kong from 1993 to 2013 was conducted.

Indiscernible Benefit of Double-Unit Umbilical Cord Blood Transplantation in Children: A Single-Center Experience From Hong Kong.

Double-unit umbilical cord blood (DU-UCB) may extend the use of UCB transplantation and improve clinical outcomes. Data in the literature show that single-unit dominance happened in a vast majority of recipients, and the mechanism is unknown. We examined the clinical relevance and engraftment kinetics of DU-UCB transplant in 65 consecutive children who underwent unrelated single-unit (n = 25) and double-unit (n = 40) UCB transplantation for various hematological malignancies (n = 45) and nonmalignant disorders (n = 20).

Prognosis and outcome of relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia: a Hong Kong Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Study Group report.

Background: In 2000, the Hong Kong Pediatric Hematology Oncology Study Group started a new relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) treatment protocol based on modified ALL-REZ BFM 96 protocol aiming at improving the treatment outcome in Chinese children.

Procedure: All patients in Hong Kong with first relapse of childhood ALL were included. Patients were stratified into four risk groups (S1, S2, S3, and S4) and the treatment consisted of intensive chemotherapy followed by allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, if indicated.