Development of EPAT: An assessment tool for pediatric hematology/oncology training programs.

Purpose: In the absence of a standardized tool to assess the quality of pediatric hematology/oncology training programs, the Education Program Assessment Tool (EPAT) was conceptualized as a user-friendly and adaptable tool to evaluate and identify areas of opportunity, pinpoint needed modifications, and monitor progress for training programs around the world.

Methods: The development of EPAT consisted of three main phases: operationalization, consensus, and piloting. After each phase, the tool was iteratively modified based on feedback to improve its relevance, usability, and clarity.

6-Mercaptopurine-induced recurrent acute pancreatitis in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma.

Two children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma developed recurrent acute pancreatitis during treatment; the etiology was presumed to be secondary to 6-mercaptopurine (6MP). Both had no further attacks after discontinuation of 6MP. Acute pancreatitis secondary to 6MP is extremely rare in acute leukemia/lymphoma although it has been reported in patients with other conditions like inflammatory bowel disease; the reason for this difference is not clearly understood.

Outcome of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia in Jordan.

Background: Accurate data about childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in low- and middle-income countries are lacking. Our study is designed to assess survival of childhood ALL at King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC) using modified St. Jude Children's Research Hospital protocols.

Comparing adult and pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma in the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program, 1988-2005: an analysis of 21 734 cases.

We analyzed data from 18 898 adults (age ≥20 years) and 2836 children/adolescents reported in the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database as having Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), diagnosed from 1988 to 2005. The nodular sclerosis subtype was significantly more common in the pediatric age group (76% in children/adolescents vs. 61% in adults, p < 0.

Secondary hematopoietic malignancies in survivors of childhood cancer: an analysis of 111 cases from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Result-9 registry.

Background: Studying secondary hematological malignancies in a large cohort of patients can help predict risks and trends associated with current therapies.

Methods: The authors analyzed data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Resultsecondary 9 (SEER-9) database on patients with a primary malignancy (diagnosed before the age of 20 years) between 1973 and 2005 who developed a secondary hematological malignancy. Primary cancer and histological subtype, incidence, risk factors, outcomes, and changes in risk patterns of secondary hematological malignancies were analyzed for 1973 to 1985, 1986 to 1995, and 1996 to 2005.