Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic Onset on the Early Careers of Pediatric Oncology Health Professionals and Researchers: A Report From the Children's Oncology Group Young Investigators Committee, Young SIOP Network, and Young SIOPE.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic onset had a global debilitating impact on individuals and on burgeoning careers. In 2021, the Children's Oncology Group Young Investigators Committee, Young SIOP (International Society of Paediatric Oncology) Network, and Young SIOPE (European Society for Paediatric Oncology) co-sponsored a survey to explore the impacts of the first year of the pandemic on early-career pediatric oncology professionals with respect to working practices, productivity, professional and career development, personal wellbeing, and changing childcare needs.

Methods: The survey comprised demographic, multiple-choice, and free-text questions, and was distributed via email and social media with English, French, and Spanish versions available.

Synoptic operative reports for pediatric surgical oncology.

Synoptic operative notes for pediatric surgical oncology provide standardized and structured documentation of surgical procedures performed on pediatric patients with cancer. These reports capture essential details such as preoperative diagnosis, intraoperative findings, surgical technique, and tumor characteristics in a concise and uniform format. By promoting consistency, accuracy, and completeness in reporting, synoptic operative notes facilitate effective communication among multidisciplinary healthcare teams, enhance quality assurance efforts, and streamline data extraction for research purposes.

Current surgical practice for central venous access to deliver chemotherapy and enteral access for nutritional support in pediatric patients with an oncological diagnosis.

Central venous access through tunneled central venous catheters (CVCs) are one of the cornerstones of modern oncologic practice in pediatric patients since CVCs provide a reliable access route for the administration of chemotherapy. Establishing best practices for CVC management in children with cancer is essential to optimize care. This article reviews current best practices, including types of devices, their placement, complications, and long-term outcomes.

Management of undifferentiated embryonal sarcoma of the liver: A Pediatric Surgical Oncology Research Collaborative study.

Background: Undifferentiated embryonal sarcoma of the liver (UESL) is a rare tumor for which there are few evidence-based guidelines. The aim of this study was to define current management strategies and outcomes for these patients using a multi-institutional dataset curated by the Pediatric Surgical Oncology Research Collaborative.

Methods: Data were collected retrospectively for patients with UESL treated across 17 children's hospitals in North America from 1989 to 2019.

Peer Support to Promote Surgeon Well-being: The APSA Program Experience.

Background: Peer support programs have evolved to train physicians to provide outreach and emotional first aid to their colleagues when they experience the inevitable challenge of a serious adverse event, whether or not it is related to a medical error. Most pediatric surgeons have experienced the trauma of a medical error, yet, in a survey of APSA membership, almost half said that no one reached out to them, and few were satisfied with their institution's response to the error. Thus, the APSA Wellness Committee developed an APSA-based peer support program to meet this need.

A Canadian children's hospital's experience with cystic echinococcosis over 30 years: A case series.

Background: Cystic echinococcosis (CE) or hydatid disease caused by the cestode is an uncommon infection in Canada especially among children. There are limited reports describing the clinical presentation and management in Canadian children.

Methods: The medical records of all children diagnosed with CE at a quaternary paediatric centre in Ontario between January 1988 and August 2021 were retrospectively reviewed.

Critical elements of pediatric liver cancer surgery.

The appropriate management of pediatric liver malignancies, primarily hepatoblastoma and hepatocellular carcinoma, requires an in depth understanding of contemporary preoperative risk stratification, experience with advanced hepatobiliary surgery, and a good relationship with one's local or regional liver transplant center. While chemotherapy regimens have become more effective, operative indications more well-defined, and overall survival improved, the complexity of liver surgery in small children provides ample opportunity for protocol violation, inadequate resection, and iatrogenic morbidity. These guidelines represent the distillation of contemporary literature and expert opinion as a means to provide a framework for preoperative planning and intraoperative decision-making for the pediatric surgeon.

Unwrapping Nephrogenic Rests and Nephroblastomatosis for Pediatric Surgeons: A Systematic Review Utilizing the PICO Model by the APSA Cancer Committee.

Background: Nephrogenic rests (NR) may represent precursor lesions for Wilms tumor (WT), but their clinical course is not fully understood and no guidelines for treatment exist. This study sought to evaluate the outcomes of pediatric patients with NRs related to traditional chemotherapy and surgery.

Methods: A PRISMA-P-compliant literature search was conducted in MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, COCHRANE, and SCOPUS from inception to June 2021.

Children's Oncology Group's 2023 blueprint for research: Young investigators.

The Children's Oncology Group (COG) Young Investigators (YI) Committee is an administrative committee in which liaisons represent 30 COG committees, and was created to facilitate the integration of YIs into the organization, and prepare them for future COG leadership roles. The mentorship program has mentored over 400 YIs since 2005 and currently has 175 active participants. The COG YI Master Roster is a database YIs can join, which allows them to post their interests and accomplishments to COG leadership, and 321 YIs have already joined this list.

Patient and Process Outcomes among Pediatric Patients Undergoing Appendectomy during the COVID-19 Pandemic: An International Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: COVID-19 forced healthcare systems to make unprecedented changes in clinical care processes. The authors hypothesized that the COVID-19 pandemic adversely impacted timely access to care, perioperative processes, and clinical outcomes for pediatric patients undergoing primary appendectomy.

Methods: A retrospective, international, multicenter study was conducted using matched cohorts within participating centers of the international PEdiatric Anesthesia COVID-19 Collaborative (PEACOC).

Complication Is Inevitable, but Suffering is Optional-Psychological Aspects of Dealing with Complications in Surgery.

Surgical complications remain common in health care and constitute a significant challenge for hospitals, surgeons, and patients. While they cause significant physical, financial, and psychological harm to patients and their families, they also heavily burden the involved physicians. This phenomenon, known as the "second victim," results in negative short and long-term physical, cognitive, and psychological consequences on the surgeon.

The Utility of Intraoperative Neuromonitoring in Pediatric Surgical Oncology.

Background: Intraoperative nerve monitoring (IONM) is a technique used to decrease the possibility of nerve-associated morbidity and damage to nearby neural structures during complex surgical procedures. The use and potential benefits of IONM in pediatric surgical oncology are not well-described.

Methods: An overview of the current literature was performed to elucidate the various techniques that may be useful to pediatric surgeons for resection of solid tumors in children.

Unanticipated consequences of COVID-19 pandemic policies on pediatric acute appendicitis surgery.

Background: Global pandemics may limit access to specialized care, delaying diagnosis and treatment of common acute surgical diseases. We analyzed the impact of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on acute appendicitis at an urban tertiary care center. We hypothesize that pandemics are associated with delayed presentation and worsened clinical sequelae, specifically, higher incidences of perforation in children.

Extra-Pleural Pneumonectomy (EPP) in Children and Adults with Locally Advanced Sarcoma: A CanSaRCC Study.

Sarcoma can present as locally advanced disease involving pleura for which extra-pleural pneumonectomy (EPP) may be the only surgical option to ensure adequate local control. Data were collected on patients who underwent EPP between January 2009 and August 2021 at Princess Margret Hospital and SickKids (Toronto) using the CanSaRCC (Canadian Sarcoma Research and Clinical Collaboration). Ten patients with locally advanced sarcoma involving the pleura, aged 4 to 59 years (median 19.

Interhospital variability in localization techniques for small pulmonary nodules in children: A pediatric surgical oncology research collaborative study.

Background: Pulmonary nodules that are deep within lung parenchyma and/or small in size can be challenging to localize for biopsy. This study describes current trends in performance of image-guided localization techniques for pulmonary nodules in pediatric patients.

Methods: A retrospective review was performed on patients < 21 years of age undergoing localization of pulmonary nodules at 15 institutions.

Higher rates of regional disease but improved outcomes in pediatric versus adult melanoma.

Background: Malignant melanoma is rare in the pediatric population and management is largely extrapolated from adult guidelines. Adult data have shown that immediate completion lymph node dissection (CLND) does not improve overall survival in selected patients with clinically node negative, sentinel lymph node-positive disease. Current nodal management in children is unknown.

Pediatric solid tumors and associated cancer predisposition syndromes: Workup, management, and surveillance. A summary from the APSA Cancer Committee.

Background/purpose: Cancer predisposition syndromes (CPS) are a heterogeneous group of inherited disorders that greatly increase the risk of developing malignancies. CPS are particularly relevant to pediatric surgeons since nearly 10% of cancer diagnoses are due to inherited genetic traits, and CPS often contribute to cancer development during childhood.

Materials/methods: The English language literature was searched for manuscripts, practice guidelines, and society statements on "cancer predisposition syndromes in children".

Update on pediatric testicular germ cell tumors.

Background: Testicular germ cell tumors are uncommon tumors that are encountered by pediatric surgeons and urologists and require a knowledge of appropriate contemporary evaluation and surgical and medical management.

Method: A review of the recommended diagnostic evaluation and current surgical and medical management of children and adolescents with testicular germ cell tumors based upon recently completed clinical trials was performed and summarized in this article.

Results: In this summary of childhood and adolescent testicular germ cell tumors, we review the initial clinical evaluation, surgical and medical management, risk stratification, results from recent prospective cooperative group studies, and clinical outcomes.