Publications by authors named "Grazyna Karolczyk"

Background: A personalised approach to the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in children and adolescents, as well as the development of supportive therapies, has significantly improved survival. Despite this, some patients still die before starting treatment or in an early phase of therapy before achieving remission. The study analysed the frequency, clinical features and risk factors for early deaths (ED) and treatment related deaths (TRD) of children and adolescents with AML.

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is a nosocomial pathogen that causes severe infections in immunocompromised patients. The aim of the study was to conduct a microbiological and clinical analysis of infections in children with malignancies or undergoing hematopoietic cell transplantation in Poland. We conducted a retrospective, multicenter study including children and adolescents under 19 years old treated between 2012 and 2021.

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Patients treated with hemato-oncological malignancies (HO) or undergoing cellular therapies such as hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) or chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T) were significantly affected by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Despite the success of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, immunocompromised patients remain at increased risk for severe coronavirus disease (COVID-19), rendering this group of population a high priority for additional prevention and treatment options. Tixagevimab and Cilgavimab (TIXA/CILGA, AZD7442, Evusheld) is a combination of two fully human, long-acting monoclonal antibodies.

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Background: The reports of studies that compare the survival of adolescents and young adults with younger children with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are contradictory.

Patients And Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 220 AML patients aged 0-18 years treated in pediatric oncologic centers in Poland from 2015 to 2022. The evaluated group included 31 infants (below 1 year), 91 younger children (1-9.

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The most common complications related to the treatment of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) are infections. The aim of the study was to analyze the incidence and mortality rates among pediatric patients with ALL who were treated in 17 Polish pediatric hematology centers in 2020-2021 during the pandemic. Additionally, we compared these results with those of our previous study, which we conducted in the years 2012-2017.

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Article Synopsis
  • The FLT3 gene mutation occurs in 10-15% of pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cases and is linked to poorer outcomes in patients.
  • A study analyzed data from 2005 to 2022, revealing that FLT3-ITD-positive patients had significantly lower survival rates compared to those without the mutation.
  • Results indicated that treatment advancements, like FLT3 inhibitors and stem cell transplants, improved survival rates, while additional genetic mutations (WT1 and NPM1) impacted prognosis significantly.
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Introduction: In 2020, the new nationwide protocol of prophylaxis in Polish plasma-derived FVIII (pdFVIII) previously treated patients (PTPs) with severe hemophilia A (sHA) was introduced, resulting in the necessity of switching from pdFVIII to recombinant FVIII (octocog-alpha; rFVIII). The study aimed to: (1) assess the safety of switching from pdFVIII to rFVIII, (2) assess the safety and efficacy of pharmacokinetically based (PK-based) personalized prophylaxis in severe hemophilia A.

Patients And Methods: 151 children and adolescents receiving prophylaxis with a standard dose (40 U/kg 3 x weekly) of pdFVIII were included in this study.

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Introduction: The aim of the study was to analyse the frequency of silent inactivation and allergic reaction to asparaginase (ASP) and its impact on treatment results in patients with lymphoblastic leukaemia.

Material And Methods: Seventy patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia treated with ASP were enrolled in the study. Asparaginase activity was monitored.

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Acute P./myeloid leukemia post cytotoxic therapy (AML-pCT) is rare complication of cancer treatment in childhood. The objective of the study was to identify clinical characteristics and provide an analysis of the outcomes in pediatric AML-pCT.

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Introduction: This study aimed to present the clinical features and results of treatment of patients diagnosed with refractory or relapsed acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) in Polish Paediatric Leukaemia/Lymphoma Study Group (PPL/LSG) institutions, treated in accordance with the Protocol Acute Myeloid Leukaemia Berlin-Frankfurt-Munster 2012, as their first-line therapy.

Material And Methods: The outcome data of 10 patients with refractory AML (median age 9.5 years) and 30 with relapsed AML (median age 12 years) were analysed retrospectively.

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The optimal bridging therapy before CAR-T cell infusion in pediatric relapsed or refractory B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (r/r BCP-ALL) still remains an open question. The administration of blinatumomab prior to CAR-T therapy is controversial since a potential loss of CD19+ target cells may negatively impact the activation, persistence, and, as a consequence, the efficacy of subsequently used CAR-T cells. Here, we report a single-center experience in seven children with chemorefractory BCP-ALL treated with blinatumomab before CAR-T cell therapy either to reduce disease burden before apheresis (six patients) or as a bridging therapy (two patients).

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Viral infections can be a serious complication of therapy in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). In this study, we focused on the incidence and the profile of viral infection in children with ALL treated in 17 pediatric oncology centers in Poland in the two-year periods of 2018-2019 and 2020-2021. We also compared the frequency of viral infections in 2018-2019 to that in 2020-2021.

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Introduction: Myeloid sarcoma (MS) is an extramedullary malignant tumor composed of immature myeloid cells. It occurs in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), or chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). MS may coincide with disease diagnosis or precede bone marrow involvement by months or even years; it can also represent the extramedullary manifestation of a relapse (1, 2).

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Background: The effect of age on the incidence of late sequelae that occur after anticancer treatment in childhood is still not fully elucidated. In this multicenter study of long-term survivors diagnosed before age of three, we investigated the prevalence of late effects many years after treatment.

Methods: The study group (n = 561) was selected from the Polish National Childhood Cancer Survivors Registry (n = 1761) created in 2007.

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Flow cytometry (FCM) is a precise and well-established tool to assess the minimal residual disease (MRD) level in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). It is crucial to distinguish leukemic cells from their normal counterparts; thus new markers should be evaluated, to increase the accuracy of the analysis. The expression of CD73 on blast cells was measured and compared at the day of diagnosis and at days 15 and 33 of treatment.

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The aim of this study was to assess the incidence of DNA aneuploidy in Polish children with B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL) and the relationship between aneuploidy and immunological phenotype, age, leukocyte count, S-phase fraction (SPF) and early response to induction chemotherapy assessed by the percentage of residual blast cells in bone marrow aspirates. The study group consisted of 267 patients. DNA content and immunophenotype were assessed in the bone marrow before treatment using multicolor flow cytometry (FC).

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Article Synopsis
  • From 1983 to 2019, Poland implemented standardized protocols for treating pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML), analyzing treatment results from 899 children over various time periods.
  • Survival rates improved significantly, with three-year overall survival increasing from 34% to 75% across the different therapeutic protocols, along with reductions in early deaths and deaths in remission.
  • Advances in treatment strategies, focusing on genetic factors and supportive care, contributed to better outcomes, particularly for patients with challenging genetic profiles in the most recent treatment period.
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The treatment of children with Philadelphia chromosome positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL Ph+) is currently unsuccessful. The use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) combined with chemotherapy has modernized ALL Ph+ therapy and appears to improve clinical outcome. We report herein the toxicity events and results of children with ALL Ph+ treated according to the EsPhALL2010 protocol (the European intergroup study of post-induction treatment of Philadelphia chromosome positive ALL) in 15 hemato-oncological centers in Poland between the years 2012 and 2019.

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The aim of the study was to retrospectively compare the effectiveness of the ALL IC-BFM 2002 and ALL IC-BFM 2009 protocols and the distribution of risk groups by the two protocols after minimal residual disease (MRD) measurement as well as its impact on survival. We reviewed the medical records of 3248 patients aged 1-18 years with newly diagnosed ALL who were treated in 14 hemato-oncological centers between 2002 and 2018 in Poland. The overall survival (OS) of 1872 children with ALL treated with the ALL IC 2002 protocol was 84% after 3 years, whereas the OS of 1376 children with ALL treated with the ALL IC 2009 protocol was 87% (P < 0.

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11q23/ rearrangements are frequently detected in pediatric acute myeloid leukemia. The analysis of their clinical significance is difficult because of the multitude of translocation fusion partners and their low frequency. The presence of t(10;11)(p12;q23) translocation was previously identified in pediatric acute myelogenous leukemia (AML).

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Children with Down syndrome (DS) have increased risk of myeloid leukemia (ML), but specific treatment protocols ensure excellent outcome. This study was a retrospective analysis of the treatment results and genetic characteristics of ML of DS (ML-DS) in Poland from 2005 to 2019. All 54 patients with ML-DS registered in the Polish Pediatric Leukemia and Lymphoma Study Group in analyzed period were enrolled to the study.

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Infectious complications (IC) caused by bacterial strains often impede anticancer therapy. The study aimed to retrospectively analyze bacterial IC that could help predict the risk and optimize the empirical treatment for bacterial infections in pediatric cancer patients. Over a 72-month period, all-in 5,599 children with cancer: 2,441 patients with hematological malignancy (HM including acute leukemias, Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphomas [NHLs], and Langerhans cell histiocytosis) and 3,158 with solid tumors (STs including central nervous system tumors, neuroblastoma, Wilms' tumor, soft tissue sarcoma, germ cell tumors, Ewing sarcoma, osteosarcoma, hepatoblastoma, and others) were enrolled into the study.

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The aim of the study was to analyze the treatment outcome and genetic characteristics of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) in children in Poland from 2005 to 2018. All 41 patients diagnosed with APL in Poland during the analysis period were eligible for the study. In period I (2005-2015), 33 patients were treated with chemotherapy and all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), and in period II (2015-2018), 3 patients (high risk) received induction chemotherapy with ATRA and arsenic trioxide (ATO), and 5 patients (standard risk) received ATRA and ATO without chemotherapy.

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Objectives: The aim of this population-based, retrospective study was to analyze biological and clinical features and treatment results in children diagnosed with MPAL in all Polish pediatric oncology centers between 2007 and 2018.

Methods: Among 2893 children and adolescents diagnosed and treated for acute leukemia, 39 (1.35%) patients fulfilled the WHO criteria of MPAL.

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Article Synopsis
  • * Out of the total patients, 384 experienced treatment failure, and the study found that age of 10 years or older at diagnosis was a significant adverse prognostic factor, particularly in the high-risk group.
  • * The research categorized patients into three groups: those who relapsed but survived, those who relapsed and died, and those without relapse who died from treatment toxicity, highlighting the importance of age in treatment outcomes.
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