Management of pediatric craniopharyngioma: 10-year experience from high-flow center.

Purpose: To report our experience and management strategies during 10 years for 137 childhood craniopharyngiomas treated at a single institution.

Methods: Medical records of children with craniopharyngioma treated at Children's Cancer Hospital Egypt (CCHE-57357) from July 2007 to December 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. Beta-catenin as an immunohistochemical marker was assessed also in available specimens.

Childhood cancer care in the Middle East, North Africa, and West/Central Asia: A snapshot across five countries from the POEM network.

Background: The Pediatric Oncology East and Mediterranean (POEM) network, through this report, provides a snapshot view of an expected child's treatment journey in five countries in the region.

Methods: Pediatric oncologists from cancer centers in Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, and Pakistan provided input on referral pathways, barriers to care, and patient outcomes, based on personal experience and published data. Outcome data were extracted from institutional registries.

Changes in glomerular filtration rate and clinical course after sequential doses of carboplatin in children with embryonal brain tumors undergoing autologous stem cell transplantation.

Background: Treatment for malignant embryonal brain tumors in young children usually employs cycles of standardly dosed cisplatinum followed by high-dose carboplatinum-containing conditioning with single or tandem autologous stem cell rescue (HDC-ASCR). High-dose carboplatin is potentially nephrotoxic, and additive platinum exposure may acutely impact renal function. Aiming to determine if decrease in renal function during conditioning assessed prior to each carboplatin dose was associated with acute increases in creatinine, requirement for dialysis or transplant-related mortality (TRM).

Biventricular reverse remodeling and relationship with mitral valve prolapse after transcatheter closure of ASD secundum, a 3D echocardiographic study.

Mitral valve prolapse (MVP) is the most common anomaly of the mitral valve. Several studies have shown prevalence of MVP in atrial septal defect (ASD) especially secundum types (II). The aims of this study is to show the potential role of 3D echocardiography in improving the diagnosis of MVP and to depict the relationship between reverse remodeling of the right and left ventricles (RV, LV) and MVP after transcatheter closure of ASD II.

RAS Pathway Mutation Patterns in Patients With Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia: A Developing Country Single-center Experience.

Introduction: Juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML) is a rare clonal myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasm of early childhood. Historically, it was difficult to diagnose clinically, as patients present with manifestations shared with other hematologic malignancies or viral infections. It is now clear that JMML is a disease of hyperactive RAS signaling.

The outcome of childhood adrenocortical carcinoma in Egypt: A model from developing countries.

Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare, aggressive endocrine neoplasm. Complete surgical resection is the single most important treatment. Most available information has been learned from experience with its more frequent adult counterpart.

Incidence, risk factors, and outcome of blood stream infections during the first 100 days post-pediatric allogeneic and autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantations.

Bloodstream infections (BSI) are a frequently observed complication after hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). Retrospective analysis of clinical and microbiological data during the first 100 days from 302 consecutive pediatric patients who underwent HSCT for a malignant disease at our institute between January 2013 and June 2017. A total of 164 patients underwent autologous and 138 allogeneic HSCT.

Combining Radiotherapy with Immunocheckpoint Inhibitors or CAR-T in Renal Cell Carcinoma.

Radiotherapy is considered a second life in Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC) patients, mainly due to the introduction of immune checkpoint inhibitors, such as anti-Programmed-death (PD)-1, alone or in combination with anti-Cytotoxic T-Lymphocyte Antigen (CTLA)-4. Several trials are investigating the efficacy/safety of immune checkpoint inhibitors in sequential or combined strategies with radiotherapy. Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR)-T cells therapy as a promising approach in cancer patients has opened the way to novel possibilities of integrating therapies.

Productivity of 18F-FDG-PET/CT Diagnostic Tool in the Management of Pediatric Lymphoblastic Lymphoma.

Background: Lymphoblastic lymphoma (LL) comprises approximately 20% of childhood non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL); however, few studies had investigated the role of 18F-FDG-PET/CT in pediatric LL patients. We aim in this study to assess the role of 18F-FDG-PET/CT in the initial staging of newly diagnosed pediatric patients with LL as well as in the assessment of response after induction chemotherapy.

Patients And Methods: A prospective study enrolled biopsy proven newly diagnosed pediatric LL patients presenting in the Children Cancer Hospital Egypt (CCHE) during the period from October 2014 to October 2016.

Is economic status the main determinant of radiation therapy availability? The Arab world as an example of developing countries.

Background And Purpose: Arab countries share a common location, history, language and culture with different economic characteristics. In this study, we analyze the availability and factors influencing radiotherapy services and cancer mortality incidence ratio (MIR) in Arabic countries.

Materials And Methods: Data were collected from GLOBOCAN report, World Health Organization, World Bank, United Nation and Directory of Radiotherapy Centre databases.

Outcome of Children Treated for Infantile Hepatic Hemangioendothelioma.

Purpose: Infantile hepatic hemangioendothelioma (IHHE) is the most common hepatic vascular tumor in children. We report on the treatment outcome of our large single-center experience of patients with IHHE over a 9-year period.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective analysis of all IHHE patients treated at the Children Cancer Hospital Egypt from April 2008 through April 2017.

A novel method for safe and accurate placement of the rocker pins of head immobilization devices utilizing a digital caliber phantom: technical note.

Background: Immobilization of the head and skull by head immobilization devices (HIDs) is a common practice in neurosurgery. A variety of complications and morbidities are associated with pinning the skull during application of HIDs.

Objective: Our aim is to describe a new technique that avoids repeated puncturing of the head and skull during application of HIDs and hence avoiding the potential complications resulting from multiple re-adjustments.

Management of pediatric CNS meningiomas: CCHE-57357 experience in 39 cases.

Purpose: Our aim is to present our experience in the management of pediatric meningiomas in the largest referral center in Egypt for pediatric tumors focusing on variables including clinical picture, anatomic location, histopathology, treatment strategies, and outcome together with their possible correlation to prognosis.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 39 pediatric patients who were treated for CNS meningiomas in Children's Cancer Hospital-Egypt (CCHE-57357) 2007-2017.

Results: The prevalence of pediatric meningioma was 1.

Day +100 Platelet Count Predicts Survival After Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem-Cell Transplantation in Children With Hematologic Malignancies.

Introduction: Recovery of platelet count by day 100 after hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) is affected by many factors and has been reported to be a predictor of overall survival (OS) in a variety of diseases and donor types. We investigated the correlation between day +100 platelet count and OS after allogeneic HSCT in a relatively homogeneous cohort of pediatric patients with hematologic malignancies.

Patients And Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of 152 consecutive patients who underwent allogeneic HSCT at the Children's Cancer Hospital Egypt between 2009 and 2015 with a minimum follow-up duration of 1 year after transplantation.

Outcome of Childhood Acute Megakaryoblastic Leukemia: Children's Cancer Hospital Egypt 57357 Experience.

Introduction: Acute megakaryoblastic leukemia is a rare subtype of pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with poor outcomes in patients with non-Down syndrome. The reported outcomes have been poor, and the prognostic factors have not been clearly determined.

Patients And Methods: To evaluate the prognostic significance of various cytogenetic abnormalities and minimal residual disease status determined by flow cytometry after induction I, we retrospectively analyzed the data of 80 patients with non-Down syndrome with a diagnosis of M7 AML treated at Children's Cancer Hospital Egypt (CCHE-57357) from July 2007 through December 2016.

Radiation Therapy Availability in Africa and Latin America: Two Models of Low and Middle Income Countries.

Access to radiation facilities in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) is far from optimal. Latin America and Africa represent 55% of LMIC, and radiation therapy facilities are available in only 70% and 46% of the countries, respectively. Only 3 countries in both regions meet the International Atomic Energy Agency's recommendation of 250,000 population per megavoltage machine (MVM).

Risk of second malignancies among survivors of pediatric thyroid cancer.

Background: Thyroid carcinoma is a very rare tumor in the pediatric age group, accounting for only 1.5-3% of childhood carcinomas in the United States and Europe. We aimed to identify the risk of a second malignancy among pediatric thyroid cancer survivors.

Recommendations for the treatment of children with radiotherapy in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC): A position paper from the Pediatric Radiation Oncology Society (PROS-LMIC) and Pediatric Oncology in Developing Countries (PODC) working groups of the International Society of Pediatric Oncology (SIOP).

Pediatric radiotherapy is a critical part of pediatric oncology protocols and the quality of the radiotherapy may determine the future quality of life for long-term survivors. Multidisciplinary team decision making provides the basis for high-quality care. However, delivery of high-quality radiotherapy is dependent on resources.

Induction of apoptosis by pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyridazine derivative in lung cancer cells via disruption of Bcl-2/Bax expression balance.

In the rapidly expanding era of cancer target therapy, regulators of apoptosis are emerging as attractive therapeutic targets. X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis (XIAP) is of specific interest owing to its characteristic overexpression in a wide variety of neoplasms, with a resultant survival advantage for tumor cells and treatment resistance. In this study, we examined three pyrazolo [3,4-d] pyridazine derivatives (PPDs) through molecular modeling and studied their modes of interaction with XIAP-BIR3 domain.

TEM8/ANTXR1-Specific CAR T Cells as a Targeted Therapy for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive disease lacking targeted therapy. In this study, we developed a CAR T cell-based immunotherapeutic strategy to target TEM8, a marker initially defined on endothelial cells in colon tumors that was discovered recently to be upregulated in TNBC. CAR T cells were developed that upon specific recognition of TEM8 secreted immunostimulatory cytokines and killed tumor endothelial cells as well as TEM8-positive TNBC cells.

Inhibitors of apoptosis: clinical implications in cancer.

Inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) family comprises a group of endogenous proteins that function as main regulators of caspase activity and cell death. They are considered the main culprits in evasion of apoptosis, which is a fundamental hallmark of carcinogenesis. Overexpression of IAP proteins has been documented in various solid and hematological malignancies, rendering them resistant to standard chemotherapeutics and radiation therapy and conferring poor prognosis.

Risk stratification and pattern of cardiotoxicity in pediatric Ewing sarcoma.

Introduction: Anthracycline chemotherapy contributes to improved outcomes in Ewing sarcoma; however, the most feared complication is cardiotoxicity. Echocardiograms were routinely used to monitor cardiac function after anthracycline treatment. Nevertheless, indices chosen to assess cardiac toxicity vary significantly among different centers, and no uniform protocol has been accepted as ideal.

Comparison of toxicity following different conditioning regimens (busulfan/melphalan and carboplatin/etoposide/melphalan) for advanced stage neuroblastoma: Experience of two transplant centers.

The outcome for advanced neuroblastoma has improved with combined modality therapy: induction chemotherapy, surgery, and consolidation with high-dose chemotherapy/autologous HSCT, followed by local radiation, cisretinoic acid, and recently antibody therapy. In the United States, the most common conditioning regimen is CEM, while in Europe/Middle East, Bu/Mel has been widely used; it remains unclear which regimen has the best outcome. Assess renal, hepatic, and infectious toxicity through Day+100 in 2 different regimens.

Pediatric brain tumors in a low/middle income country: does it differ from that in developed world?

Central nervous system (CNS) tumors are the most frequent solid tumors in children and adolescents. The epidemiology of these tumors differs in areas of the world. However, very little data is available in the low/middle income countries (LMIC).