Palliative care considerations and practices for adolescents and young adults with cancer.

The definition of adolescents and young adults (AYAs) in oncology varies with upper limits up to age 39. Younger AYAs, ages 12-24 years, are often cared for within pediatrics. In caring for AYAs with cancer, there are unique considerations that become even more important to recognize, acknowledge, and address in AYAs with life-threatening cancer receiving palliative care.

Intratumoral Translocation Positive Heterogeneity in Pediatric Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma Tumors Correlates to Patient Survival Prognosis.

Alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (ARMS) is characterized by one of three translocation states: (2;13) (q35;q14) producing PAX3-FOXO1, (1;13) (p36;q14) producing PAX7-FOXO1, or translocation-negative. Tumors with (2;13) are associated with greater disease severity and mortality than (1;13) positive or translocation negative patients. Consistent with this fact, previous work concluded that a molecular analysis of RMS translocation status is essential for the accurate determination of prognosis and diagnosis.

Intrapericardial NUT Midline Carcinoma: Unusual Presentation of a Rare Tumor and Literature Review with Management Considerations.

Rearrangements in the nuclear protein in testis (NUT) gene cause carcinomas that represent a rare but aggressive tumor type that often present at advanced stages in midline structures. Survival rarely exceeds 12 months from the time of diagnosis. There have been no reports of a primary cardiac presentation, and few studies have reported on the numerous treatment strategies.

A high predisposition to depression and anxiety in mothers and other matrilineal relatives of children with presumed maternally inherited mitochondrial disorders.

Although mothers of chronically ill children are generally prone to depression and anxiety, clinical observation suggests that these symptoms are relatively increased in mothers of children with maternally inherited mitochondrial disorders (MIMD). In this study, the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI), the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and a non-standardized mental health questionnaire were administered to 15 mothers of children with MIMD and 17 mothers of children with autosomal recessive metabolic disorders (ARMD) followed in one clinic. One half of the children in both groups suffer from mental retardation and/or > or = 2 hospitalizations/year related to their genetic disorder, and were labeled as severely affected.