Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in children: classical and newer therapeutic approaches.

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) represents a rare myeloproliferative disease among children where allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) remains the curative gold standard. However, the impressive early cytogenetic and molecular responses achieved by tyrosine kinase inhibitors [TKIs (imatinib, nilotinib, and dasatinib)] as first-line or even sole treatment in adults, has led to their increasing use also among children. Due to limited data regarding long-term results of TKIs and especially those of second generation in pediatric cohorts, we would like to add clinical information in this rare series of patients by reporting on four children with CML over a 10-year period, focusing on TKIs, dose escalations and clinical responses.

Acute acalculous cholecystitis as the initial presentation of primary Epstein-Barr virus infection.

The case of a 13-year-old girl with primary Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection and concomitant cholestatic hepatitis, which initially presented as acute acalculous cholecystitis (AAC), is described. The diagnosis of AAC was documented by clinical and ultrasonographic criteria, whereas acute EBV infection was confirmed serologically. AAC may develop during the course of acute EBV infection, especially in patients with cholestatic hepatitis.

Second and third malignant solid tumor in a girl with ovarian Sertoli-Leydig tumor.

We report a Sertoli-Leydig cell (SLC) tumor of the right ovary in a 10-year-old girl, which was dealt with surgical removal. Three months after resection, she presented with a new episode of acute abdomen because of an abdominal mass, which histologically was compatible with an undifferentiated embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma. Chemotherapy, according to SIOP-??? 89 protocol, was administered additionally to radiotherapy (3,960 cGy).

Infections in a pediatric patient cohort with acute lymphoblastic leukemia during the entire course of treatment.

Goals: To assess the type, frequency, severity, and outcome of all infectious episodes in a pediatric patient cohort with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) from a single institution during the entire length of leukemia treatment.

Patients And Methods: Eighty-six patients were treated according to a modified ALL Berlin-Frankfurt-Munster protocol. Retrospective analysis of all types of infections according to the treatment phase and the degree of neutropenia is presented.

Clinicolaboratory findings and treatment of iron-deficiency anemia in childhood.

One of the major causes of anemia in childhood worldwide is iron deficiency. Its prevalence depends mainly on age, being higher in infancy and adolescence. Its etiology varies, but poor iron diet is considered the commonest causative factor.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma in childhood and adolescence: a single institution's experience with treatment modalities during the last 15 years.

Pediatric nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) represents a locally advanced undifferentiated tumor with widely varying epidemiological features and with a high cure rate when combined modality treatment is provided. Both local and systemic treatment is necessary, and additional treatment with biologic modifiers seems promising. In this study, clinical experience and therapeutic results of 10 children with newly diagnosed NPC, treated in a single pediatric hematology/oncology institution in Athens over a period of 15 years, are analyzed.