Association between muscle mass, visceral adiposity, and histologic tumor stromal features in colon cancer.

Background & Aims: Sarcopenia and obesity are indicators for poor outcomes in colon cancer. Additionally, aggressive histopathologic tumor stromal features, such as a low tumor-stroma ratio (TSR) and low tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) predict survival and treatment response. As their relationship remains underexplored, we studied the association between skeletal muscle mass, visceral adipose tissue (VAT), TSR, and TILs in patients with colon cancer.

Incidence and survival of rare adult solid cancers in Europe (EUROCARE-6): A population-based study.

Background: Rare cancers correspond to approximately 200 clinical entities, which can be grouped into 12 families. Updated data are available for childhood and haematological cancers, ie, for only two of the 12 families of rare cancer. We provide incidence and survival for the remaining ten families of rare adult solid cancers (RAC), across 29 EU Member States and over time.

Risk of developing neuroblastoma influenced by maternal stressful life events during pregnancy and congenital pathologies.

Objective: A retrospective multicenter study to investigate the potential association between descriptive information related to pregnancy history and perinatal features and the risk of neuroblastoma (NB) in children.

Study Design: Data from 56 mothers during 105 pregnancies (56 cases of NB, 49 control siblings) were collected through face-to-face or telephone interviews with mothers of children diagnosed with NB, along with information extracted from Health System databases. Descriptive information related to (a) pregnancy history as maternal stressful life events with perceived distress during pregnancy, weight gain, alcohol and tobacco consumption, mode of delivery and gestational age; and (b) perinatal features as congenital pathologies, weight at birth and type of feeding were examined to identify potential risk factors for NB.

Pamidronate for pain in adult chronic nonbacterial osteitis: protocol of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Chronic nonbacterial osteitis (CNO) is a rare auto-inflammatory bone disease affecting children and adults. Adult CNO is characterized by painful bone lesions, primarily of the anterior chest wall. There is no approved therapy for adult CNO.

Vitronectin Levels in the Plasma of Neuroblastoma Patients and Culture Media of 3D Models: A Prognostic Circulating Biomarker?

Vitronectin is a glycoprotein present in plasma and the extracellular matrix that is implicated in cell migration. The high amount of vitronectin found in neuroblastoma biopsies has been associated with poor prognosis. Moreover, increased vitronectin levels have been described in the plasma of patients with different cancers.

Delving into the clinical impact of NETs in pediatric cancer.

Pediatric cancer, a complex and heterogeneous group of diseases, continues to challenge medical research and treatment strategies. Despite advances in precision medicine and immunotherapy, certain aggressive subtypes of pediatric cancer are resistant to conventional therapies, requiring further exploration of potential therapeutic targets. Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), net-like structures released by neutrophils, have emerged as a potential player in the pediatric cancer landscape.

Combining morphological and functional imaging parameters to diagnose primary bone neoplasms in the skull base, spine and sacrum.

Purpose: Morphological magnetic resonance (MR) and computed tomography (CT) features are used in combination with histology for diagnosis and treatment selection of primary bone neoplasms. Isolated functional MRI parameters have shown potential in diagnosis. Our goal is to facilitate diagnosis of primary bone neoplasms of the skull base, mobile spine and sacrum, by a comprehensive approach, combining morphological and functional imaging parameters.

Reproducibility Analysis of Radiomic Features on T2-weighted MR Images after Processing and Segmentation Alterations in Neuroblastoma Tumors.

Purpose To evaluate the reproducibility of radiomics features extracted from T2-weighted MR images in patients with neuroblastoma. Materials and Methods A retrospective study included 419 patients (mean age, 29 months ± 34 [SD]; 220 male, 199 female) with neuroblastic tumors diagnosed between 2002 and 2023, within the scope of the PRedictive In-silico Multiscale Analytics to support cancer personalized diaGnosis and prognosis, Empowered by imaging biomarkers (ie, PRIMAGE) project, involving 746 T2/T2*-weighted MRI sequences at diagnosis and/or after initial chemotherapy. Images underwent processing steps (denoising, inhomogeneity bias field correction, normalization, and resampling).

ECLIM-SEHOP: how to develop a platform to conduct academic trials for childhood cancer.

Introduction: ECLIM-SEHOP platform was created in 2017. Its main objective is to establish the infrastructure to allow Spanish participation into international academic collaborative clinical trials, observational studies, and registries in pediatric oncology. The aim of this manuscript is to describe the activity conducted by ECLIM-SEHOP since its creation.

F-Sodium fluoride PET-CT visualizes disease activity in chronic nonbacterial osteitis in adults.

Chronic nonbacterial osteitis (CNO) is a rare disease spectrum, which lacks biomarkers for disease activity. Sodium fluoride-18 positron emission tomography/computed tomography ([F]NaF-PET/CT) is a sensitive imaging tool for bone diseases and yields quantitative data on bone turnover. We evaluated the capacities of [F]NaF-PET/CT to provide structural and functional assessment in adult CNO.

Lateral-type posterior fossa ependymomas in pediatric population.

Background: Lateral-type posterior fossa ependymomas are a well-defined subtype of tumours both clinically and pathologically, with a poor prognosis. Their incidence is low and surgical management is challenging. The objective of the present work is to review our series of lateral-tye posterior fossa ependymomas and compare our results with those of previous series.

Childhood and Adolescent Central Nervous System Tumours in Spain: Incidence and Survival over 20 Years: A Historical Baseline for Current Assessment.

Background: Central nervous system (CNS) neoplasms are highly frequent solid tumours in children and adolescents. While some studies have shown a rise in their incidence in Europe, others have not. Survival remains limited.

Modeling Cardiotoxicity in Pediatric Oncology Patients Using Patient-Specific iPSC-Derived Cardiomyocytes Reveals Downregulation of Cardioprotective microRNAs.

Anthracyclines are widely used in the treatment of many solid cancers, but their efficacy is limited by cardiotoxicity. As the number of pediatric cancer survivors continues to rise, there has been a concomitant increase in people living with anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity. Accordingly, there is an ongoing need for new models to better understand the pathophysiological mechanisms of anthracycline-induced cardiac damage.

Evaluation of circulating tumor DNA by electropherogram analysis and methylome profiling in high-risk neuroblastomas.

Background: Liquid biopsy has emerged as a promising, non-invasive diagnostic approach in oncology because the analysis of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) reflects the precise status of the disease at diagnosis, progression, and response to treatment. DNA methylation profiling is also a potential solution for sensitive and specific detection of many cancers. The combination of both approaches, DNA methylation analysis from ctDNA, provides an extremely useful and minimally invasive tool with high relevance in patients with childhood cancer.

Independent Validation of a Deep Learning nnU-Net Tool for Neuroblastoma Detection and Segmentation in MR Images.

Objectives: To externally validate and assess the accuracy of a previously trained fully automatic nnU-Net CNN algorithm to identify and segment primary neuroblastoma tumors in MR images in a large children cohort.

Methods: An international multicenter, multivendor imaging repository of patients with neuroblastic tumors was used to validate the performance of a trained Machine Learning (ML) tool to identify and delineate primary neuroblastoma tumors. The dataset was heterogeneous and completely independent from the one used to train and tune the model, consisting of 300 children with neuroblastic tumors having 535 MR T2-weighted sequences (486 sequences at diagnosis and 49 after finalization of the first phase of chemotherapy).

Personalized Medicine in Infant Population with Cancer: Pharmacogenetic Pilot Study of Polymorphisms Related to Toxicity and Response to Chemotherapy.

Background: Pharmacogenetics is a personalized medicine tool that aims to optimize treatments by adapting them to each individual's genetics, maximizing their efficacy while minimizing their toxicity. Infants with cancer are especially vulnerable, and their co-morbidities have vital repercussions. The study of their pharmacogenetics is new in this clinical field.

Radiotherapy quality assurance in paediatric clinical trials: first report from six QUARTET-affiliated trials.

Background And Purpose: SIOP Europe's QUARTET project launched in 2016; aiming to improve access to high-quality radiotherapy for children and adolescents treated within clinical trials across Europe. The aim of this report is to present the profile of institutions participating in six QUARTET-affiliated trials and a description of the initial individual case review (ICR) outcomes.

Methods: This is a two-part analysis.

Exploring Urban Green Spaces' Effect against Traffic Exposure on Childhood Leukaemia Incidence.

Background: Several environmental factors seem to be involved in childhood leukaemia incidence. Traffic exposure could increase the risk while urban green spaces (UGS) exposure could reduce it. However, there is no evidence how these two factors interact on this infant pathology.

Liquidhope: methylome and genomic profiling from very limited quantities of plasma-derived DNA.

Analysis of the methylome of tumor cell-free deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA; cfDNA) has emerged as a powerful non-invasive technique for cancer subtyping and prognosis. However, its application is frequently hampered by the quality and total cfDNA yield. Here, we demonstrate the feasibility of very low-input cfDNA for whole-methylome and copy-number profiling studies using enzymatic conversion of unmethylated cysteines [enzymatic methyl-seq (EM-seq)] to better preserve DNA integrity.

Long-term survival and cure fraction estimates for childhood cancer in Europe (EUROCARE-6): results from a population-based study.

Background: The EUROCARE-5 study revealed disparities in childhood cancer survival among European countries, giving rise to important initiatives across Europe to reduce the gap. Extending its representativeness through increased coverage of eastern European countries, the EUROCARE-6 study aimed to update survival progress across countries and years of diagnosis and provide new analytical perspectives on estimates of long-term survival and the cured fraction of patients with childhood cancer.

Methods: In this population-based study, we analysed 135 847 children (aged 0-14 years) diagnosed during 2000-13 and followed up to the end of 2014, recruited from 80 population-based cancer registries in 31 European countries.

Suprarenal Masses in Very Young Infants: Is It Safe to Watch and Wait? Report of a SIOPEN Observational Study Results.

To assess whether expectant observation of infants ≤ 90 days old with small suprarenal masses (sSRMs) could avoid unnecessary surgery without impacting outcome. Infants ≤ 90 days with a ≤ 5 cm mass, without midline extension or lymph node or distant spread were registered (ClinicalTrials.org:NCT01728155).

Comparative Multicentric Evaluation of Inter-Observer Variability in Manual and Automatic Segmentation of Neuroblastic Tumors in Magnetic Resonance Images.

Tumor segmentation is one of the key steps in imaging processing. The goals of this study were to assess the inter-observer variability in manual segmentation of neuroblastic tumors and to analyze whether the state-of-the-art deep learning architecture nnU-Net can provide a robust solution to detect and segment tumors on MR images. A retrospective multicenter study of 132 patients with neuroblastic tumors was performed.

Exploring Blue Spaces' Effects on Childhood Leukaemia Incidence: A Population-Based Case-Control Study in Spain.

Background: Blue spaces have been a key part of human evolution, providing resources and helping economies develop. To date, no studies have been carried out to explore how they may be linked to paediatric oncological diseases.

Objectives: To explore the possible relationship of residential proximity to natural and urban blue spaces on childhood leukaemia.

Germline variant in Ctcf links mental retardation to Wilms tumor predisposition.

CTCF germline mutations have been related to MRD21. We report the first bilateral Wilms tumor suffered by a MRD21 patient carrying an unreported CTCF missense variant in a zinc finger domain of CTCF protein. We found that germline heterozygous variant I446K became homozygous in the tumor due to a loss of heterozygosity rearrangement affecting the whole q arm on chromosome 16.