Impact of obesity on outcome in children diagnosed with cancer in Canada: A report from Cancer in Young People in Canada.

Background: Childhood obesity can result in adverse health outcomes. The objectives of this study were to describe the prevalence of obesity and determine the association between obesity at cancer diagnosis and event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) in children diagnosed with cancer in Canada.

Methods: The authors conducted a retrospective cohort study using the Cancer in Young People in Canada database, including all children with newly diagnosed cancer aged 2-18 years across Canada from 2001 to 2020.

Genome-wide study identifies novel genes associated with bone toxicities in children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

Bone toxicities are common among paediatric patients treated for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) with potentially major negative impact on patients' quality of life. To identify the underlying genetic contributors, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) and a transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS) in 260 patients of European-descent from the DFCI 05-001 ALL trial, with validation in 101 patients of European-descent from the DFCI 11-001 ALL trial. We identified a significant association between rs844882 on chromosome 20 and bone toxicities in the DFCI 05-001 trial (p = 1.

Development and validation of thromboembolism diagnostic algorithms in children with cancer from real-world data.

Objective: To evaluate the accuracy of diagnostic algorithms developed using the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CA) diagnostic codes and physician billing codes for thromboembolism (TE) from health administrative data compared to chart review diagnoses of TE in children with cancer.

Methods: Using data linkage between the Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario Network Information System (Ontario pediatric cancer registry) and various administrative data housed at ICES, eight algorithms were developed including a single reference to one of the billing codes, multiple references with varying time intervals, and combinations of various billing codes during primary cancer therapy for the whole cohort and, for early (<04/2002) and later (≥04/2002, solely ICD-10 codes) periods. Reference standard was chart review data from prior studies (from 1990 to 2016) among children (≤19 years) with cancer and radiologically confirmed TE.

Risk factors and clinical impact of thrombosis during induction chemotherapy for pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia: A report from CYP-C.

Thromboembolism (TE) is associated with reduced survival in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). It has been hypothesized that TE might signal leukemic aggressiveness. The objective was to determine risk factors for TE during ALL induction (TE ) therapy and whether TE is associated with treatment refractoriness.

Rates and predictors of visits to primary care physicians during and after treatment of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia: A population-based cohort study.

Introduction: Patient re-engagement with primary care physicians (PCPs) after cancer treatment is essential to facilitate survivorship care and to meet non-oncology primary care needs. We identified rates and predictors of PCP visits both during and after treatment among a population-based cohort of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

Methods: Children of age less than 18 years at ALL diagnosis in Ontario between 2002 and 2012 were linked to administrative data and matched to controls without cancer.

Impairment of health-related quality of life for children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia over the first year of therapy: A report from the DFCI ALL Consortium.

Background: Children treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) receive prolonged treatment, resulting in toxicities that affect health-related quality of life (HR-QoL). Longitudinal assessment of HR-QoL allows improved understanding of experiences with ALL.

Procedure: Parent-proxy and child self-report HR-QoL over the first year of chemotherapy were evaluated in the context of DFCI Protocol 05-001, a phase 3 therapeutic trial for childhood ALL.

Safety and Efficacy of Alendronate to Treat Osteopenia in Children During Therapy for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: A Retrospective Cohort Study of Sequential Outcomes.

Background: Low bone mineral density is encountered in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) before, during, and after treatment. Prior experience with alendronate, an oral bisphosphonate, demonstrated high tolerability and evident clinical efficacy. However, concerns have been expressed about the long-term safety and utility of such agents in children.

An exploratory analysis of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric type 1 diabetes mellitus patient outcomes: A single-center study.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic led to substantial shifts in pediatric diabetes care delivery to virtual and hybrid models. It is unclear if these changes in care delivery impacted short-term patient outcomes.

Objectives: We aimed to explore glycemic control and other diabetes-related outcomes in children living with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic at a tertiary pediatric academic center in Canada.

Prognostic factors and outcomes of infant acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), hypodiploid ALL, and mixed-phenotype acute leukemia (MPAL) in Canada: a report from CYP-C.

The epidemiology of infant acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), hypodiploid ALL, and mixed-phenotype acute leukemia (MPAL) in Canada is unknown. The main objective was to describe the prevalence, prognostic factors, and outcomes of three rare and high-risk ALL subtypes in Canada. This is a retrospective study using the Cancer in Young People-Canada (CYP-C) database.

Healthcare utilization and costs associated with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children with and without Down syndrome.

Background: Children with Down syndrome (DS) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) are at increased risk of treatment-related morbidity and mortality compared to non-DS-ALL, requiring increased supportive care. We examined the healthcare utilization and costs in DS-ALL patients to inform future evaluations of novel therapies.

Methods: A provincial registry identified all children (1-17 years) diagnosed with B-lineage ALL in Ontario, Canada between 2002 and 2012.

The Influence of Body Composition on Bone Health in Long-term Survivors of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in Childhood and Adolescence: Analyses by Dual-energy Radiograph Absorptiometry and Peripheral Quantitative Computed Tomography.

Background: The normal interrelationship of body composition with bone health is less clear in the context of disease. Survivors of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) exhibit sarcopenic obesity and osteopenia. The impact of body composition on bone health in such survivors was examined.

Predictors of thrombosis in children receiving therapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia: Results from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute ALL Consortium trial 05-001.

Background/objectives: Although thromboembolism (TE) is a serious complication in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), thromboprophylaxis is not commonly used due to the inherent bleeding risk in this population. Identifying prothrombotic risk factors will help target thromboprophylaxis to those at highest thrombotic risk. We aimed to define predictors and the impact of TE on ALL outcome in children (1-18 years) treated on the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute ALL 05-001 trial.

Impact of virtual care on health-related quality of life in children with diabetes mellitus: a systematic review protocol.

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus is the most common endocrine disorder in children, and the prevalence of paediatric type 1 and type 2 diabetes continue to rise globally. Diabetes clinical care programs pivoted to virtual care with the COVID-19 pandemic-driven social distancing measures. Yet, the impact of virtual care on health-related quality of life in children living with diabetes remains unclear.

Bone health in long-term survivors of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia. An assessment by peripheral quantitative computed tomography.

Background: Loss of bone mineral is a common concomitant of the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) due mainly to chemotherapy, especially with corticosteroids. Osteopenia/osteoporosis may be encountered long into survivorship. Measurement of bone mineral density (BMD) by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry is limited to two-dimensionality and cannot distinguish trabecular from cortical bone.

Efficacy and Toxicity of Pegaspargase and Calaspargase Pegol in Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: Results of DFCI 11-001.

Purpose: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) Consortium Protocol 11-001 assessed efficacy and toxicity of calaspargase pegol (calaspargase), a novel pegylated asparaginase formulation with longer half-life, compared with the standard formulation pegaspargase.

Methods: Patients age 1 to ≤ 21 years with newly diagnosed ALL or lymphoblastic lymphoma were randomly assigned to intravenous pegaspargase or calaspargase, 2,500 IU/m/dose. Patients received one induction dose.

Phase-specific risks of outpatient visits, emergency visits, and hospitalizations during Children's Oncology Group-based treatment for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia: A population-based study.

Background: Therapy for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is associated with substantial health care utilization and burden on families. Little is known about health care utilization during specific treatment phases.

Procedures: We identified children with ALL diagnosed during 2002-2012 in Ontario, Canada and treated according to Children's Oncology Group (COG) protocols.

Health care utilisation and costs associated with different treatment protocols for newly diagnosed childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia: A population-based study in Ontario, Canada.

Background: Although different treatment protocols for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) all achieve high cure rates, their health care utilisation and costs have not been rigorously compared.

Methods: Disease, treatment, and outcome data were chart abstracted for all children with ALL in Ontario, Canada, diagnosed 2002-2012. Linkage to population-based databases identified health care utilisation.

Thrombosis is associated with worse survival in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia: A report from CYP-C.

There are conflicting data about whether the development of cancer-associated thrombo-embolism (TE) negatively impacts survival in children. The objective was to determine whether TE during treatment was associated with overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). We performed a population-based retrospective cohort study using the Cancer in Young People-Canada registry.

Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Tumor With Ascending Intraspinal Metastasis at Recurrence: Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Background: Desmoplastic small round cell tumor (DSRCT) is a rare and aggressive malignancy commonly involving the abdomen and/or pelvic peritoneum. Despite aggressive therapy, the prognosis remains poor. Central nervous system relapse is rare in abdominal/pelvic primary DSRCT.

Genetic ancestry and skeletal toxicities among childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients in the DFCI 05-001 cohort.

Hispanic children have a higher incidence of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and inferior treatment outcomes relative to non-Hispanic White children. We previously reported that Hispanic children with ALL had lower risk of fracture and osteonecrosis. To unravel the genetic root of such ethnic differences, we genotyped 449 patients from the DFCI 05-001 cohort and analyzed their ancestry.

Impact of ABO Blood Group on the Development of Venous Thromboembolism in Children With Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Few studies have evaluated the impact of ABO blood group on the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in pediatric populations. We performed a systematic review to determine whether children (0 to 18 y old) with non-O blood group have an increased risk of developing VTE compared with those with O blood group.

Methods: We searched Ovid Medline, Embase, PubMed, Cochrane, Web of Science, and CINAHL online databases from inception to December 2018 to find studies involving blood grouping and VTE.

Identification of prognostic factors in childhood T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia: Results from DFCI ALL Consortium Protocols 05-001 and 11-001.

Background/objectives: While outcomes for pediatric T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) are favorable, there are few widely accepted prognostic factors, limiting the ability to risk stratify therapy.

Design/methods: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) Protocols 05-001 and 11-001 enrolled pediatric patients with newly diagnosed B- or T-ALL from 2005 to 2011 and from 2012 to 2015, respectively. Protocol therapy was nearly identical for patients with T-ALL (N = 123), who were all initially assigned to the high-risk arm.

Relationships of Bone Mineral Density to Whole Body Mass, Fat Mass and Fat-free Mass in Long-term Survivors of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in Childhood.

Body size influences bone mineral density (BMD) in health. Relationships of BMD with body mass index, fat mass (FM), fat-free mass, and appendicular lean mass were explored in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) survivors (n=75; 41 males; 45 standard risk ALL) >10 years from diagnosis. Dual energy radiograph absorptiometry performed body composition analysis.