Balance training during acute medical treatment for pediatric cancer - subjective benefits and preliminary effects on selected physical abilities.

Background:  As balance training seems to be a promising training method to improve physical limitations of the lower limbs, this study aims to evaluate feasibility, subjective benefits and preliminary effects on physical abilities of balance training in pediatric cancer patients.

Patients:  11 pediatric cancer patients (5-21 years) undergoing acute medical treatment were included in the study.

Method:  Participants took part in a 4-week balance training intervention.

Treatment of Infants and Children With SARS-CoV-2 Monoclonal Antibodies: A European Case Series.

Background: Although severe COVID-19 in children is rare, those with certain pre-existing health conditions are more prone to severe disease. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are potent antiviral agents that reduce adverse clinical outcomes in adults, but are commonly not approved for use in pediatric patients.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated mAb treatment in children <12 years of age or <40kg with SARS-CoV-2 infection between January 1, 2021, and March 7, 2022, in 12 tertiary care centers in 3 European countries.

Presence of centromeric but absence of telomeric group B KIR haplotypes in stem cell donors improve leukaemia control after HSCT for childhood ALL.

Although allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) provides high cure rates for children with high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), relapses remain the main cause of treatment failure. Whereas donor killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) genotype was shown to impact on relapse incidence in adult myeloid leukaemia similar studies in paediatric ALL are largely missing. Effect of donor KIR genotype on transplant outcome was evaluated in 317 children receiving a first myeloablative HSCT from an HLA-matched unrelated donor or sibling within the prospective ALL-SCT-BFM-2003 trial.

Clearance of Treatment Refractory Adenoviremia via Adenovirus-specific Donor T-Cell Transfer During Aplasia After αβTCR-CD19-Depleted Stem Cell Transplantation.

Here, we report the case of severe adenoviremia in a 7-year-old boy with highly-resistant, acute leukemia. A combined approach of αβTCR-CD19-depleted stem cell transplantation, enabling immunosuppression-free post-transplant care, and early transfer of adenovirus-specific donor T cells during aplasia resulted in rapid and complete clearance of the treatment-refractory adenoviremia.

De novo PIK3R1 gain-of-function with recurrent sinopulmonary infections, long-lasting chronic CMV-lymphadenitis and microcephaly.

PIK3R1 (phosphoinositide-3-kinase, regulatory subunit 1) gain-of-function has recently been described in patients with recurrent sinopulmonary infections, chronic CMV-/EBV-infections, lymphoproliferation, and hypogammaglobulinemia. Here we report a 15-year-old boy with treatment refractory CMV lymphadenitis, severe combined immunodeficiency, microcephaly and a severe developmental defect of Th17 cells. To avoid poor outcome, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) was performed.

Immunotherapy with the trifunctional anti-CD20 x anti-CD3 antibody FBTA05 (Lymphomun) in paediatric high-risk patients with recurrent CD20-positive B cell malignancies.

Children with B cell malignancies refractory to standard therapy are known to have a poor prognosis and very limited treatment options. Here, we report on the treatment and follow-up of ten patients diagnosed with relapsed or refractory mature B-cell Non Hodgkin Lymphoma (B-NHL), Burkitt leukaemia (B-AL) or pre B-acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (pre B-ALL). All children were treated with FBTA05 (now designated Lymphomun), an anti-CD3 x anti-CD20 trifunctional bispecific antibody (trAb) in compassionate use.

Oral low-dose chemotherapy: successful treatment of an alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma during pregnancy.

We report for the first time the impact of neoadjuvant oral low-dose chemotherapy consisting of oral trofosfamide, idarubicin, and etoposide (O-TIE) in the case of alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) in the lower jaw of an 18-year-old woman at 27 weeks of gestation, without fetal complications and a highly efficient anti-tumor response. Our study suggests the possible application of O-TIE treatment in a neoadjuvant setting during pregnancy and recommends a schedule that can be considered for the treatment of patients with high-risk sarcomas who cannot be treated with intensive chemotherapy for various reasons.

The CD70/CD27 pathway is critical for stimulation of an effective cytotoxic T cell response against B cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

For effective immunotherapy, maintaining the frequency and cytotoxic potential of effector cells is critical. In this context costimulation via the CD70/CD27 pathway has been proven essential. CD70 has been reported to be expressed to varying degrees on malignant B cells.

Survivin and its prognostic significance in pediatric acute B-cell precursor lymphoblastic leukemia.

Background And Objectives: Impaired apoptosis, mediated by members of the inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAP) family such as survivin, is thought to contribute to leukemic cell survival. In contrast to low expression of survivin in normal differentiated adult tissues, very high levels of survivin have been described in a number of different tumors. Overexpression of survivin was found to correlate with poor prognosis in a variety of cancers including hematologic malignancies.

Up-regulation of c-FLIPS+R upon CD40 stimulation is associated with inhibition of CD95-induced apoptosis in primary precursor B-ALL.

Previous studies on apoptosis defects in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) have focused on chemotherapy-induced, primarily mitochondrial death pathways. Yet, immunologic surveillance mechanisms including sensitization to apoptotic signals mediated via the death receptor CD95 might contribute to leukemic control. Here, we show that primary B-cell precursor ALL cells from children escape from receptor-dependent cell death in 2 ways: Resting ALL blasts are protected from receptor-mediated apoptosis due to the absence of CD95 surface expression.