Publications by authors named "Matthew Ehrhardt"

Treatment options for patients with relapsed or refractory (R/R) anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) have increased in the era of targeted therapies such as brentuximab vedotin (BV) and Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK) inhibitors. However, there is no standard treatment and limited published data evaluating their use. The goal of this retrospective study is to describe current real-world treatment and outcomes of pediatric, adolescent, and young adult patients with R/R ALK-positive ALCL.

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Purpose: The Healthy Hearts pilot study evaluated the effect of an eHealth motivational interviewing-framed intervention on cardiomyopathy screening-related knowledge, health beliefs, intrinsic motivation, and behavioral action steps among adult survivors of childhood cancer.

Methods: We consented N = 73 survivors to participate in a single-arm pilot study. Participants completed an online baseline survey (n = 68) assessing knowledge, health beliefs, and intrinsic motivation related to cancer therapy-induced cardiomyopathy and screening echocardiograms.

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Background: The relationships among treatment exposures, body composition, and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in adult survivors of Wilms tumor have not been well studied.

Methods: We evaluated body composition with dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and eGFR with the updated Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration equations (creatinine only-eGFR, cystatin C only-eGFR, creatinine and cystatin C-eGFR) without race in 134 adults previously treated for unilateral, non-syndromic Wilms tumor at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital between 1964 and 2004 with chemotherapy and with (hemiabdomen [HA] or whole abdomen [WA]) or without radiation therapy (RT).

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Article Synopsis
  • Ataxia telangiectasia (A-T) is a genetic disorder that affects DNA repair and increases the risk of developing cancers, with 16.5% of affected individuals diagnosed with primary cancers in a study.
  • The analysis revealed that the cumulative incidence of cancer reached 29% by age 35, with non-Hodgkin lymphoma being the most common hematologic cancer, while solid tumors were more prevalent in individuals aged 18 and over.
  • The study found that standard chemotherapy led to a higher risk of death and significant treatment-related toxicities, emphasizing the necessity for more effective and safer treatment options for individuals with A-T.
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Background: Adult survivors of unilateral, nonmetastatic, non-syndromic Wilms tumor (WT) treated with whole abdomen radiation therapy (WART) are at risk for impaired kidney function. The impact of bias and accuracy on estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) among adult survivors of WT has not been well documented.

Procedure: We clinically evaluated male and female WT survivors with creatinine and cystatin C, calculated eGFR using the Chronic Kidney Disease-Epidemiology equations with and without cystatin C, and measured Tc diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA) plasma clearance.

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Background: The burden and functional significance of autonomic dysfunction among survivors of childhood cancer is unknown.

Objectives: We evaluated the prevalence, risk factors, and functional relevance of autonomic dysfunction in survivors.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional prospective evaluation of 1,041 adult survivors of childhood cancer treated with anthracyclines (31.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study examines patient activation, which refers to the willingness of individuals to manage their health, focusing on childhood cancer survivors and its effect on psychological outcomes and health behaviors.
  • Among 2,708 childhood cancer survivors, lower levels of activation were observed compared to the control group, with survivors demonstrating more instances of low activation and fewer high activation levels.
  • The results indicate that higher activation is linked to better mental health, quality of life, and adherence to physical activity guidelines, suggesting that enhancing patient activation could provide significant benefits for survivors' overall well-being.
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Purpose: Perceived cancer impact (PCI) is the degree to which one feels cancer has impacted one's life. It is unknown if PCI is associated with health behaviors. The aim of this study is to determine associations between PCI and health behaviors in childhood cancer survivors.

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Background: Premature aging is a significant concern in adult survivors of childhood cancer as they develop aging-related conditions at a younger age than their peers with no history of childhood cancer. Although modifiable lifestyle factors, such as diet, are postulated to affect aging process, supporting evidence is sparse.

Methods: We examined if the consumption of sugar and sugar-sweetened beverages was related to premature aging in 3322 adult survivors of childhood cancer in the St.

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Background: Neurocognitive impairments are sequelae of childhood cancer treatment, however little guidance is given to clinicians on common phenotypes of impairment or modifiable risk factors that could lead to personalized interventions in survivorship.

Methods: Standardized clinical testing of neurocognitive function was conducted in 2958 (74.1%) eligible survivors, who were at least 5 years postdiagnosis and aged older than 18 years, and 477 community controls.

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Background: The effect of the increasing lifetime burden of non-major cardiovascular conditions on risk for a subsequent major adverse cardiovascular event among survivors of childhood cancer has not been assessed. We aimed to characterise the prevalence of major adverse cardiovascular events and their association with the cumulative burden of non-major adverse cardiovascular events in childhood cancer survivors.

Methods: This is a longitudinal cohort study with participant data obtained from an ongoing cohort study at St Jude Children's Research Hospital: the St Jude Lifetime Cohort Study (SJLIFE).

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Childhood cancer survivors have a higher risk of developing cardiomyopathy than members of the general population. Screening echocardiograms can facilitate early detection and treatment of cardiomyopathy. Furthermore, motivational interviewing can increase uptake of cardiac screening.

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Survivors of childhood cancer may experience accelerated biological aging, resulting in premature frailty and death. We used seven measures of biological age in the St. Jude Lifetime (SJLIFE) Cohort to compare biological age acceleration between the SJLIFE Cohort and the third United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey controls, explore trajectories of biological age according to cancer treatment and type, and test associations of biological age acceleration with frailty and death (mean follow-up of 26.

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The growing community of childhood cancer survivors faces a heavy burden of late onset morbidities and mortality, with cardiovascular diseases being the leading noncancer cause. In addition to demographics and cancer treatment exposures, which cannot be altered, cardiometabolic risk factors (obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia) and frailty potentiate the risk of morbidity and mortality associated with chronic health conditions. Important opportunities exist to target these risk factors and improve late health outcomes for survivors.

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Introduction: This study aimed to assess longitudinal associations between lifestyle and subsequent malignant neoplasms (SMNs) in young adult childhood cancer survivors.

Methods: Members of the St. Jude Lifetime Cohort (SJLIFE) aged ≥18 years and surviving ≥5 years after childhood cancer diagnosis were queried and evaluated for physical activity, cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), muscle strength, body mass index (BMI), smoking, risky drinking, and a combined lifestyle score.

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Purpose: The intraventricular route of chemotherapy administration, via an Ommaya Reservoir (OmR) improves drug distribution in the central nervous system (CNS) compared to the more commonly used intrathecal administration. We retrospectively reviewed our experience with intraventricular chemotherapy, focused on methotrexate, in patients with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) and Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL).

Methods: Twenty-four patients (aged 7 days - 22.

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Purpose: Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) survivors experience neurocognitive impairment despite receiving no central nervous system-directed therapy, though little is known about the underlying mechanisms.

Experimental Design: HL survivors (n = 197) and age-, sex- and race/ethnicity frequency-matched community controls (n = 199) underwent standardized neurocognitive testing, and serum collection. Luminex multiplex or ELISA assays measured markers of inflammation and oxidative stress.

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Background: Little is known about the specific dietary patterns in adult survivors of childhood cancer.

Objectives: We aimed to identify dietary patterns specific to childhood cancer survivors and examine their associations with sociodemographic and lifestyle factors.

Methods: Adult survivors of childhood cancer (mean:31 ± 8 y; n = 3022) and noncancer controls (n = 497) in the St.

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Purpose: To identify dietary factors that are related to premature aging in adult survivors of childhood cancer, we examined the associations between plant food intakes and age-related deficit accumulation.

Methods: A total of 3,322 childhood cancer survivors (age 18-65 years, mean = 31, standard deviation = 8.4) in the St Jude Lifetime Cohort had total fruit, total vegetables and subgroups, whole grains, refined grains, nuts/seeds, and nutrients intake assessed using a food frequency questionnaire.

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Purpose: To leverage baseline global longitudinal strain (GLS) and N-terminal-pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) to identify childhood cancer survivors with a normal left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) at highest risk of future treatment-related cardiomyopathy.

Methods: St Jude Lifetime Cohort participants ≥5 years from diagnosis, at increased risk for cardiomyopathy per the International Guideline Harmonization Group (IGHG), with an LVEF ≥50% on baseline echocardiography (n = 1,483) underwent measurement of GLS (n = 1,483) and NT-proBNP (n = 1,052; 71%). Multivariable Cox regression models estimated hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs for postbaseline cardiomyopathy (modified Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events ≥grade 2) incidence in association with echocardiogram-based GLS (≥-18) and/or NT-proBNP (>age-sex-specific 97.

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Survivors of adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancers, defined as individuals diagnosed with a primary malignancy between age 15 and 39 years, are a growing population with unique developmental, psychosocial, and health-related needs. These individuals are at excess risk of developing a wide range of chronic comorbidities compared with the general population and, therefore, require lifelong, risk-based, survivorship care to optimize long-term health outcomes. The health care needs of survivors of AYA cancers are particularly complicated given the often heterogeneous and sometimes fragmented care they receive throughout the cancer care continuum.

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