Colorectal carcinoma in childhood and adolescence: a clinicopathologic review.

Purpose: Pediatric colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is rare, but the available data suggest that it is more likely than adult CRC to be advanced at presentation and to have a poor outcome. We sought to better characterize pediatric CRC.

Patients And Methods: We reviewed the clinical and pathologic features, prognostic factors, and outcome of CRC in 77 children and adolescents (ages 7 to 19 years) referred to St Jude Children's Research Hospital between 1964 and 2003.

Concomitant administration of vincristine, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide, and etoposide for high-risk sarcomas: the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital experience.

Background: Intensified chemotherapy may improve the outcome of patients with high-risk pediatric sarcomas. Vincristine, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide, and etoposide are highly effective against pediatric sarcomas. The authors investigated the feasibility of administering these agents concomitantly within a defined period.

Metastatic osteosarcoma.

Background: The outcome of patients with metastatic osteosarcoma treated in two consecutive trials from 1986 to 1997 was analyzed to evaluate the efficacy of carboplatin-based multiagent chemotherapy and to identify prognostic factors. The initial study (OS-86) used ifosfamide, cisplatin, doxorubicin, and high-dose methotrexate, and the subsequent study (OS-91) used the same agents at similar doses, but carboplatin was substituted for cisplatin.

Methods: Twelve patients (median age, 15.

Phase I study of the combination of topotecan and irinotecan in children with refractory solid tumors.

Purpose: We have shown in xenograft studies that the antitumor activities of topotecan and irinotecan are highly schedule- and dose-dependent, with a high frequency of response at low, protracted dose schedules. Preclinical and clinical data suggest that topotecan and irinotecan have different antitumor activities and mechanisms of resistance, and non-overlapping toxicities, providing a rationale for their combination. Combining both agents may increase the amount of camptothecin delivered to the tumor, without additive toxicity.

The feasibility of adjuvant interferon alpha-2b in children with high-risk melanoma.

Background: It has been shown that induction high-dose interferon alpha-2b (IFN-alpha-2b) followed by maintenance therapy improves recurrence-free survival in adults with high-risk, resected melanoma. In this study, the feasibility and toxicity of this regimen were evaluated in newly diagnosed pediatric patients with Stage III melanoma involving regional lymph nodes.

Methods: Fifteen patients age View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Brain metastases of malignant germ cell tumors in children and adolescents.

Background: Brain metastases of pediatric germ cell tumors are uncommon, and there is limited information regarding their incidence, clinical presentation, response to treatment, and influence on survival.

Methods: The authors reviewed the experience with brain metastases from pediatric germ cell tumors at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (Memphis, TN) over a 40-year period.

Treatment of metastatic retinoblastoma.

Purpose: The risk for death in patients with retinoblastoma is increased in those who present with metastatic disease, and the role of intensive chemotherapy and autologous hematopoietic stem cell rescue in these patients remains unclear.

Design: Nonrandomized interventional case series.

Participants: Four consecutive patients with metastatic retinoblastoma.

Treatment of intraocular retinoblastoma with vincristine and carboplatin.

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of chemoreduction using vincristine and carboplatin in preventing or delaying external-beam radiotherapy (EBRT) or enucleation in patients with intraocular retinoblastoma.

Patients And Methods: Twenty-five patients (43 eyes) with newly diagnosed intraocular retinoblastoma received primary treatment with eight courses of vincristine and carboplatin. Focal treatments were delayed until documentation of disease progression.

Synovial sarcoma of childhood and adolescence: a multicenter, multivariate analysis of outcome.

Purpose: To identify prognostic factors related to outcome in 219 children and adolescents with synovial sarcoma.

Patients And Methods: We combined the experiences of the four following research groups: Cooperative Weichteilsarkomastudie Group, Germany (n = 95); St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN (n = 49); Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy (n = 33); and The University of Texas M.

Real-time polymerase chain reaction as an aid for the detection of SYT-SSX1 and SYT-SSX2 transcripts in fresh and archival pediatric synovial sarcoma specimens: report of 25 cases from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Synovial sarcoma is the most common nonrhabdomyosarcomatous soft tissue sarcoma in children and adolescents and is characterized by a reciprocal t(X;18)(p11;q11) which results in the fusion of the SYT gene on chromosome 18q11 to either of two closely related genes, SSX1 (Xp11.23) or SSX2 (Xp11.21).

Clinical features and outcome of initially unresected nonmetastatic pediatric nonrhabdomyosarcoma soft tissue sarcoma.

Purpose: To describe the clinical features, response to therapy, and outcome of pediatric patients with initially unresected nonmetastatic nonrhabdomyosarcoma soft tissue sarcoma (NRSTS).

Patients And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the presenting clinical features and tumor characteristics of all 40 pediatric patients with initially unresected nonmetastatic NRSTS who were seen at our institution between March 1962 and December 1996. A subset of 27 patients for whom complete treatment information was available was analyzed to determine whether response to therapy was associated with local disease control and event-free and overall survival.