Increased Incidence of TdT-negative Pre-B Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Associated With Poor Prognostic Features Among Mexican Children in Central Mexico.

Mexican and Hispanic children in Mexico and the United States, respectively, have the highest incidence and worst outcomes of pre-B acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) compared with other racial/ethnic groups. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) is an intranuclear DNA polymerase normally present on immature lymphocytes (TdT-positive) and distinguishes ALL from mature lymphoid malignancies. We performed a multisite retrospective study to determine the incidence of TdT-negative precursor B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (pre-B ALL) among Mexican, Caucasian, and US-born Hispanic children to correlate TdT expression with patient characteristics and known prognostic factors.

Therapeutic plasma exchange for multiorgan dysfunction among critically ill pediatric patients with leukemia: A single-institutional experience.

Introduction: Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) has well-documented applications in the adult population, outlined by the American Society for Apheresis (ASFA) 2019 guidelines. Limited data exist regarding the use of TPE in critically ill pediatric patients; however, these reports rarely include patients with oncological diseases.

Methods: We highlight the use of TPE in the acute management of seven pediatric patients with leukemia treated at Children's Mercy Hospital ICU from 2015 to 2020, including TPE specifications, baseline and interval laboratory evaluation, and outcome measures.

Patient and health service factors associated with delays in cancer treatment for children without social security in Mexico.

Background: The objective was to investigate factors associated with patient-related timing (PRT) to seek healthcare and health service-related timing (HSRT) to diagnose cancer and provide treatment to children without social security in Mexico.

Procedure: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 13 Ministry of Health hospitals in the states of Chihuahua, Jalisco, Mexico City, Morelos, Oaxaca, Puebla, Queretaro, State of Mexico, and Tlaxcala. Study participants were parents of recently diagnosed pediatric cancer patients (≤ 17 years of age).