Endocrine dysfunction in long-term survivors of pediatric head and neck rhabdomyosarcoma.

Objective: Survivors of pediatric head and neck rhabdomyosarcoma (HNRMS) are at risk of developing endocrinopathies following local treatment, resulting from radiation damage to the pituitary gland, hypothalamus, or thyroid gland, often at a young age. Our aim was to determine the prevalence of endocrine dysfunction in long-term HNRMS survivors and compare the prevalence of anterior pituitary insufficiency (API) among different local treatment strategies: external beam radiation with photons, external beam radiation with protons, microscopically radical surgery combined with external irradiation, and macroscopic radical surgery combined with brachytherapy.

Design And Methods: Head and neck rhabdomyosarcoma survivors treated between 1993 and 2017, with ≥2 years of follow-up, without recurrent disease or secondary malignancy were eligible for this study.

Optimizing Ewing Sarcoma and Osteosarcoma Biopsy Acquisition: A Children's Oncology Group Bone Tumor Committee Consensus Statement.

Trends in diagnostic biopsy sample collection approaches for primary bone sarcomas have shifted in the past 2 decades. Although open/incisional biopsies used to be the predominant approach to obtain diagnostic material for Ewing sarcoma and osteosarcoma, image-guided core needle biopsies have increased in frequency and are safe for patients. These procedures are less invasive and reduce recovery times but have potential limitations.

Metastatic-Site Radiation Therapy for Ewing Sarcoma and Rhabdomyosarcoma: Consensus Guidelines From the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation.

Purpose: Despite the urgent need for improved outcomes in patients with metastatic Ewing sarcoma (EWS) and rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), it is unknown how to best approach metastatic-site radiation therapy for these patients and whether such treatment provides a significant oncologic benefit that outweighs the toxicities.

Methods And Materials: We gathered a panel of pediatric radiation oncologists from academic hospitals to identify and discuss current controversies regarding the role of radiation in the management of metastatic EWS and RMS. The panel reviewed existing clinical data and ongoing trials to address 5 key questions: (1) the role of whole lung irradiation (WLI) in treating lung metastases; (2) the number of metastatic sites warranting radiation therapy and the radicality of such an approach; (3) radiation techniques, including stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT); (4) the timing of metastatic-site radiation therapy; and (5) the utility of metastatic-site radiation therapy for relapsed metastatic disease.

Evaluating Scholastic Achievement in Pediatric Brain Tumor Survivors Compared With Healthy Controls.

Purpose: Radiation therapy (RT) causes cognitive deficits in pediatric brain tumor survivors (PBTS). Traditionally, this is measured using neuropsychological testing, which lack prediagnosis baseline and do not necessarily trigger action. This pilot project investigated a novel patient-centered outcome of scholastic performance using state-collected educational data.