Parents' and patients' perspectives, experiences, and preferences for germline genetic or genomic testing of children with cancer: A systematic review.

Purpose: Germline testing in pediatric cancer presents opportunities and challenges. Understanding family perspectives, experiences, and preferences will optimize integration into routine care.

Methods: Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, we searched 4 databases for studies exploring perspectives, experiences, and preferences of parents/caregivers and/or patients regarding germline testing of children with cancer.

Clinical and biological landscape of constitutional mismatch-repair deficiency syndrome: an International Replication Repair Deficiency Consortium cohort study.

Background: Constitutional mismatch repair deficiency (CMMRD) syndrome is a rare and aggressive cancer predisposition syndrome. Because a scarcity of data on this condition contributes to management challenges and poor outcomes, we aimed to describe the clinical spectrum, cancer biology, and impact of genetics on patient survival in CMMRD.

Methods: In this cohort study, we collected cross-sectional and longitudinal data on all patients with CMMRD, with no age limits, registered with the International Replication Repair Deficiency Consortium (IRRDC) across more than 50 countries.

AI assisted reader evaluation in acute CT head interpretation (AI-REACT): protocol for a multireader multicase study.

Introduction: A non-contrast CT head scan (NCCTH) is the most common cross-sectional imaging investigation requested in the emergency department. Advances in computer vision have led to development of several artificial intelligence (AI) tools to detect abnormalities on NCCTH. These tools are intended to provide clinical decision support for clinicians, rather than stand-alone diagnostic devices.

Non-neutropenic fever in children with cancer: Management, outcomes and clinical decision rule validation.

Introduction: Fever and infection are an important complication of childhood cancer therapy. Most research and guideline development has focussed on febrile neutropenia, with a paucity directed at non-neutropenic fever (NNF). We describe the clinical presentation, management and outcomes of NNF in children with cancer, and externally validate the Esbenshade Vanderbilt (EsVan) clinical decision rules (CDR) to predict bacteraemia.

Growth hormone and targeted oncological agents: Are we stopping children with brain tumours from reaching their true height potential?

Children with low-grade gliomas have excellent long-term survival outcomes. The development of therapies targeted to the driver mutations along the Mitogen Activated Protein (MAP) kinase signalling pathway are providing long-term stability for many patients with these tumours. Given the frequency of these tumours residing within or near the suprasellar region, our patients commonly suffer from hormone deficiencies.

The important role of routine cytopathology in pediatric precision oncology.

Background: The development of high-throughput drug screening (HTS) using primary cultures provides a promising, clinically translatable approach to tailoring treatment strategies for patients with cancer. However, this has been challenging for solid tumors because of often limited amounts of tissue available. In most cases, in vitro expansion is required before HTS, which may lead to overgrowth and contamination by non-neoplastic cells.

Use of bevacizumab as a single agent or in adjunct with traditional chemotherapy regimens in children with unresectable or progressive low-grade glioma.

In pediatric low-grade gliomas not amenable to complete resection, various chemotherapy regimens are the mainstream of treatment. An excellent overall survival of these patients makes justification of the intensification of chemotherapy difficult and calls for the development of new strategies. Bevacizumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody directed against Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), has been successfully used in combination with irinotecan in a number of adult and pediatric studies and reports.

Report of a bi-allelic truncating germline mutation in TP53.

The TP53 gene is fundamental to genomic integrity, cell cycle regulation, and apoptosis; it is the most commonly mutated gene in human cancer. Heterozygous germline mutations cause the autosomal dominant cancer predisposition syndrome, Li-Fraumeni Syndrome. Homozygous germline TP53 mutations in humans are rare.