Experiences of parents with caring for their child after a cancer diagnosis.

Children and adolescents with cancer are increasingly treated and cared for at home; hospital stays are reduced to a minimum. Taking care of a sick child at home has an impact on the entire family: the sick child, the siblings, and the parents. This qualitative study examines the experiences of parents taking their child home for the first time after the diagnosis.

The prognostic significance of cytogenetic aberrations in childhood acute myeloid leukaemia. A study of the Swiss Paediatric Oncology Group (SPOG).

In childhood-onset acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) the clinical value of karyotypic aberrations is now acknowledged, although there is still debate concerning the prognostic significance of some events. To add to this knowledge, cytogenetic analysis was performed on a consecutive series of 84 childhood AML patients diagnosed in Switzerland. A result was obtained for all patients, with 69 (82%) showing a clonal karyotypic aberration.

Characterization of karyotypic events and evolution in neuroblastoma.

Background: Neuroblastoma (NB) is cytogenetically characterized by a number of non-random events. However, knowledge is limited concerning the timing of occurrence and inter-action of many of these events.

Methods: Karyotypic patterns were obtained from a study group of 49 NB tumors that had been analyzed by conventional cytogenetics combined with FISH and in some instances SKY.

Intellectual outcome in children and adolescents with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia treated with chemotherapy alone: age- and sex-related differences.

One of the most relevant concerns in long-term survivors of paediatric acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) is the development of neuropsychological sequelae. The majority of the published studies report on patients treated with chemotherapy and prophylactic central nervous system (CNS) irradiation, little is known about the outcome of patients treated with chemotherapy-only regimens. Using the standardised clinical and neuropsychological instruments of the SPOG Late Effects Study, the intellectual performance of 132 paediatric ALL patients treated with chemotherapy only was compared to that of 100 control patients surviving from diverse non-CNS solid tumours.