Major discrepancy between clinical diagnosis of death and anatomopathological findings in adolescents with chronic diseases during 18-years.

Objectives: To evaluate the inconsistency between clinical diagnosis of death and autopsy findings in adolescents with chronic diseases.

Methods: A cross-sectional study including a sample of adolescents' autopsies who died in a pediatric and adolescent tertiary hospital over 18 consecutive years. During this period, there were n = 2912 deaths, and n = 581/2912(20%) occurred in adolescents.

Acute promyelocytic leukemia in childhood and adolescence: treatment results of a modified AIDA protocol at a Brazilian center.

Acute promyelocytic leukemia currently presents an excellent chance of cure with protocols based on all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) and anthracycline or only differentiation agents. However, high early mortality rates continue to be reported METHODS: Between 2000 and 2018, patients were enrolled and retrospectively analyzed by medical records. A modified AIDA protocol, with a 1-year shortening of the treatment duration, reduction in the number of drugs and a strategy to reduce early mortality by the postponement of the initiation of anthracyclines were employed.

Wilms tumor in children: A multivariate analysis of prognostic factors, with emphasis on inferior vena cava/right atrium extension. Results from a single-center study.

Background: To identify prognostic factors for overall survival through the analysis of 132 patients with Wilms tumor followed at a single center, with emphasis on the inferior vena cava/right atrium extension.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of overall survival using logistic regression models and including age, sex, clinical features, associated syndromes, comorbidities, tumor size before chemotherapy, stage, presence of metastatic disease and its site, invasion of adjacent structures, inferior vena cava/right atrium extension, laterality, tumor histology, chemotherapy protocol, and radiotherapy as potential risk factors.

Results: From January 2000 through November 2021, 132 patients met the inclusion criteria, 64 females and 68 males; 15 (11.

Technical performance of a lateral flow immunoassay for detection of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG in the outpatient follow-up of non-severe cases and at different times after vaccination: comparison with enzyme and chemiluminescent immunoassays.

This study assessed the technical performance of a rapid lateral flow immunochromatographic assay (LFIA) for the detection of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG and compared LFIA results with chemiluminescent immunoassay (CLIA) results and an in-house enzyme immunoassay (EIA). To this end, a total of 216 whole blood or serum samples from three groups were analyzed: the first group was composed of 68 true negative cases corresponding to blood bank donors, healthy young volunteers, and eight pediatric patients diagnosed with other coronavirus infections. The serum samples from these participants were obtained and stored in a pre-COVID-19 period, thus they were not expected to have COVID-19.

Unraveling the Genetic Architecture of Hepatoblastoma Risk: Birth Defects and Increased Burden of Germline Damaging Variants in Gastrointestinal/Renal Cancer Predisposition and DNA Repair Genes.

The ultrarare hepatoblastoma (HB) is the most common pediatric liver cancer. HB risk is related to a few rare syndromes, and the molecular bases remain elusive for most cases. We investigated the burden of rare damaging germline variants in 30 Brazilian patients with HB and the presence of additional clinical signs.

Copy Number Alterations in Hepatoblastoma: Literature Review and a Brazilian Cohort Analysis Highlight New Biological Pathways.

Hepatoblastoma (HB) is a rare embryonal tumor, although it is the most common pediatric liver cancer. The aim of this study was to provide an accurate cytogenomic profile of this type of cancer, for which information in cancer databases is lacking. We performed an extensive literature review of cytogenetic studies on HBs disclosing that the most frequent copy number alterations (CNAs) are gains of 1q, 2/2q, 8/8q, and 20; and losses at 1p and 4q.

Persistent symptoms and decreased health-related quality of life after symptomatic pediatric COVID-19: A prospective study in a Latin American tertiary hospital.

Objectives: To prospectively evaluate demographic, anthropometric and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in pediatric patients with laboratory-confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Methods: This was a longitudinal observational study of surviving pediatric post-COVID-19 patients (n=53) and pediatric subjects without laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 included as controls (n=52) was performed.

Results: The median duration between COVID-19 diagnosis (n=53) and follow-up was 4.

Breakthrough Candidemia in Pediatric Patients With Cancer From a Brazilian Center.

We analyzed 19 cases of breakthrough candidemia from a referral pediatric cancer center in Brazil. All patients had neutropenia and were under antifungal prophylactic regimens, mostly micafungin (68%). Most of the patients were treated with amphotericin B formulations and 30-day mortality was 21%.

Hepatoblastomas exhibit marked downregulation driven by promoter DNA hypermethylation.

Hepatoblastomas exhibit the lowest mutational burden among pediatric tumors. We previously showed that epigenetic disruption is crucial for hepatoblastoma carcinogenesis. Our data revealed hypermethylation of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase, a highly expressed gene in adipocytes and hepatocytes.

Prevalence and outcomes of thrombotic and hemorrhagic complications in pediatric acute promyelocytic leukemia in a tertiary Brazilian center.

Introduction: Little attention is given to thrombosis associated with pediatric acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). This study describes the thrombotic and hemorrhagic manifestations of APL in pediatric patients and evaluates their hemostasis, based on coagulation tests.

Methods: Inclusion criteria were age 0-18 years and APL diagnosis between April 2005 and November 2017.

Involvement of the central nervous system in neuroblastomas: A potential direct pathway.

Although frequently disseminated to other anatomical sites, neuroblastoma (NB) is rarely reported as involving the central nervous system (CNS), which may reflect insufficient research in poorly controlled systemic disease. Here we demonstrate the involvement of the CNS in patients with NB over 18 months of age at diagnosis of extensive systemic disease. Meningeal metastases were observed even in the presence of complete systemic control.

An unusual abdominal wall mass in a child.

Abdominal tumors are one of the most common types of pediatric cancer. Therefore, they should always be included in the differential diagnosis of abdominal masses. Here, we present the case of a child whose initial hypothesis of diagnosis contemplated this possibility.

Videolaparoscopic radical nephrectomy after chemotherapy in the treatment of Wilms' tumor: Long-term results of a pioneer group.

Introduction: A high cure rate for Wilms' tumor has been achieved using a multidisciplinary approach. The natural step forward is to offer the benefits of a minimally invasive technique for surgery, which is an obligatory part of treatment. Nevertheless, some authors resist using videolaparoscopic radical nephrectomy (VRN) because of concerns about reducing the cure index.

Malignant paraganglioma in children treated with embolization prior to surgical excision.

Background: Paragangliomas (PGL) are rare tumors derived from neural crest cells, whose origins may vary along the chain of the sympathetic nervous system. Such tumors are often characterized by secretion of catecholamines, but sometimes they are biochemically inactive, which makes diagnosis often challenging. Malignant paraganglioma is defined by the presence of this tumor at sites where chromaffin cells are usually not found or by local invasion of the primary tumor.

Comparative study of quality of life of adult survivors of childhood acute lymphocytic leukemia and Wilms' tumor.

Objective: To analyze and compare the health-related quality of life of adult survivors of acute lymphocytic leukemia and Wilms' tumor amongst themselves and in relation to healthy participants.

Methods: Ninety participants aged above 18 years were selected and divided into three groups, each comprising 30 individuals. The Control Group was composed of physically healthy subjects, with no cancer history; and there were two experimental groups: those diagnosed as acute lymphocytic leukemia, and those as Wilms' Tumor.

New concepts and outcomes for children with hepatoblastoma based on the experience of a tertiary center over the last 21 years.

Objective: The aim of this study was to summarize the experience of a tertiary center in treating hepatoblastoma for the last 21 years.

Patients And Methods: Fifty-eight cases were included. The tumor extent and prognosis were assessed using the PRETEXT system.

Wilms tumor: a retrospective study of 32 patients using videolaparoscopic and open approaches.

Objective: To compare videolaparoscopic nephrectomy and the open technique as treatments for Wilms tumor, specifically the surgical results, immediate and long-term complications, and patient survival.

Methods: A review of charts of children with unilateral Wilms tumor was performed. There were 2 surgical groups: (1) only open surgery and (2) videolaparoscopy.

Pediatric genitourinary oncology.

Tumors of the kidney, bladder, prostate, testis, and adrenal represent a large part of the adult urologic practice, but are relatively infrequent in children. The natural history and management of these tumors in the pediatric age is different from that of the adults. As result of the successful work of several clinical trial groups in recent decades, there has been a significant improvement in their cure rates.

Evaluation of adrenal reserve in children with acute lymphocytic leukemia treated with prednisone or dexamethasone.

Background/aims: The purpose of this study was to compare adrenal gland reserve in acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) patients 8 weeks after treatment with either prednisone (PRED) or dexamethasone (DEX) during the induction phase of therapy.

Methods: A double-blind comparative study of patients treated with PRED and DEX was performed. Sixteen patients received PRED (40 mg/m(2)/day) and 13 patients received DEX (6 mg/m(2)/day), both for 28 days.