Implications of Implementing Children's Oncology Group Risk Stratification to Patients With Rhabdomyosarcoma Treated on European Paediatric Soft Tissue Sarcoma Study Group Clinical Trial.

Background: Prognostic factors are crucial in tailoring treatments for patients with rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS). The European paediatric Soft tissue sarcoma Study Group (EpSSG) and the Children's Oncology Group (COG) employ similar prognostic factors, but utilize them differently resulting in diverse stratification systems. This diversity may result in dissimilar treatment approaches for comparable patients and hinder the comparison of clinical trial results.

Reducing Learning and Psychosocial Disparities in Latino Children with Cancer: A Randomized Intervention Trial.

Background: We developed a high-intensity parenting intervention (HIP) to help parents support the academic success of childhood cancer survivors (CCSs), who often face post-treatment challenges affecting their school-related functioning. This randomized controlled trial (NCT03178617) evaluated HIP's efficacy compared to lower-intensity, single-session, treatment-as-usual services (LIP) in Latino families. Primary outcomes were parenting efficacy and CCSs' school functioning; secondary outcomes included parenting knowledge and measures of CCSs' academic performance, attention, and functioning outside of school.

A Quality Approach to Blinatumomab Delivery in Pediatric Oncology: A Children's Oncology Group Study.

Blinatumomab is a promising immunotherapy agent that has been shown to improve survival outcomes in children diagnosed with relapsed B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Expanded use of blinatumomab in the treatment of childhood cancer is expected; however, clinician perspectives regarding administering this agent in healthcare and home settings have not been explored. Semistructured interviews were conducted with clinicians ( = 13) from pediatric institutions across the United States and Canada.

Changes in real-world dispensing of ADHD stimulants in youth from 2019 to 2021 in California.

Introduction: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common pediatric neurobehavioral disorders in the U.S. Stimulants, classified as controlled substances, are commonly used for ADHD management.

Children's Oncology Group's 2023 blueprint for research: Soft tissue sarcomas.

In the United States, approximately 850-900 children and adolescents each year are diagnosed with soft tissue sarcomas (STS). STS are divided into rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) and non-rhabdomyosarcoma STS (NRSTS). RMS and NRSTS are risk stratified into low-, intermediate-, and high-risk categories, with 5-year survival rates of approximately 90%, 50%-70%, and 20%, respectively.

Electroacupuncture for the management of symptom clusters in cancer patients and survivors (EAST).

Background: Neuropsychiatric symptoms, comprising cognitive impairment, fatigue, insomnia, depression, and anxiety, are prevalent and may co-occur during and after chemotherapy treatment for cancer. Electroacupuncture (EA), which involves mild electrical stimulation with acupuncture, holds great potential in addressing the management of individual symptoms. However, there is a lack of studies evaluating if EA can manage concurrent neuropsychiatric symptoms in cancer (i.

Unmet Needs, Barriers, and Facilitators for Conducting Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Survivorship Research in Southern California: A Delphi Survey.

An adolescent and young adult cancer (AYAC) patient is an individual who has received a cancer diagnosis between 15 and 39 years of age. They require significant survivorship care due to a combination of practical, physical, and mental health problems, but research in these areas is sparse. This study aimed to identify the unmet needs, barriers, and facilitators for conducting AYAC survivorship research in Southern California (SoCal) from the providers' and researchers' perspectives.

A Multicomponent Telehealth Intervention to Improve Oncofertility Care Delivery Among Young Cancer Patients: A Pilot Study.

Oncofertility care for pediatric, adolescent, and young adult cancer patients remains under-implemented across adult and pediatric oncology settings. We pilot tested an electronic health record (EHR)-enabled multicomponent oncofertility intervention (including screening, referral, and fertility consult) in an adult academic oncology program and systematically assessed intervention fit to pediatric and community oncology programs. Using surveys ( = 33), audits ( = 143), and interviews ( = 21) guided by implementation science frameworks, we pilot tested the EHR-enabled intervention for oncofertility care in young cancer patients at an adult oncology program and evaluated implementation outcomes.

Southern California Pediatric and Adolescent Cancer Survivorship (SC-PACS): Establishing a Multi-Institutional Childhood, Adolescent, and Young Adult Cancer Survivorship Consortium in Southern California.

Introduction Given their risk for late effects and early mortality, childhood/adolescent cancer survivors (CACSs) should receive longitudinal monitoring and care. The Southern California Pediatric and Adolescent Cancer Survivorship (SC-PACS) consortium was established in February 2017 to combine resources and expertise across seven participating survivorship programs. Its over-arching objective is to address the unique needs of its demographically diverse CACS population through collaborative survivorship research and care initiatives.

An update on rhabdomyosarcoma risk stratification and the rationale for current and future Children's Oncology Group clinical trials.

Children and adolescents with rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) comprise a heterogeneous population with variable overall survival rates ranging between approximately 6% and 100% depending on defined risk factors. Although the risk stratification of patients has been refined across five decades of collaborative group studies, molecular prognostic biomarkers beyond FOXO1 fusion status have yet to be incorporated prospectively in upfront risk-based therapy assignments. This review describes the evolution of risk-based therapy and the current risk stratification, defines a new risk stratification incorporating novel biomarkers, and provides the rationale for the current and upcoming Children's Oncology Group RMS studies.

Immunological and psychosocial functioning in parents of children with cancer.

Purpose: Research has shown that parents of children with cancer exhibit an altered immune profile compared to parents of healthy children, reflective of increased susceptibility to illness. These parents are also at risk for poorer psychosocial outcomes and quality of life. The current study compares peripheral blood cell analyses and psychosocial self-reports from parents of children being treated for cancer (n = 21) to parents of healthy children (n = 30).

Evaluating risk factors for acute graft versus host disease in pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients receiving tacrolimus.

To identify the clinical and pharmacological risk factors associated with tacrolimus pharmacodynamics for acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) in pediatric patients receiving allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) from a matched related donor. A retrospective cohort single center chart review study was conducted with pediatric patients who received tacrolimus prophylaxis after allogeneic HSCT between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2019. Potential risk factors were tested separately between aGVHD and non-aGVHD cohorts and were further analyzed in a logistic regression model with backward elimination and a partial least squares discriminant analysis.

Six-step etoposide desensitization protocol: A pediatric, adolescent, and young adult case series.

Etoposide administration can be complicated by hypersensitivity reactions. Desensitization may provide a strategy to prevent hypersensitivity recurrence. One challenge with desensitization is regimen complexity.

A pilot study of the preliminary efficacy of Pain Buddy: A novel intervention for the management of children's cancer-related pain.

Objectives: Cancer-related pain in children is prevalent and undermanaged. Mobile health (mHealth) applications provide a promising avenue to address the gap in pain management in children with cancer. Pain Buddy is a multicomponent mHealth application developed to manage cancer-related pain in children.

Implementation and Validation of the Roche Light Cycler 480 96-Well Plate Platform as a Real-Time PCR Assay for the Quantitative Detection of Cytomegalovirus (CMV) in Clinical Specimens Using the Luminex MultiCode ASRs System.

Allogenic stem-cell therapies benefit patients in the treatment of multiple diseases; however, the side effects of stem-cell therapies (SCT) derived from the concomitant use of immune suppression agents often include triggering infection diseases. Thus, analysis is required to improve the detection of pathogen infections in SCT. We develop a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based methodology for the qualitative real-time DNA detection of cytomegalovirus (CMV), with reference to herpes simplex virus types 1 (HSVI), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and varicella-zoster virus (VZV) in blood, urine, solid tissues, and cerebrospinal fluid.

Persistent Gut Microbial Dysbiosis in Children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) During Chemotherapy.

Prophylactic or therapeutic antibiotic use along with chemotherapy treatment potentially has a long-standing adverse effect on the resident gut microbiota. We have established a case-control cohort of 32 pediatric and adolescent acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients and 25 healthy siblings (sibling controls) to assess the effect of chemotherapy as well as antibiotic prophylaxis on the gut microbiota. We observe that the microbiota diversity and richness of the ALL group is significantly lower than that of the control group at diagnosis and during chemotherapy.

Comparative Tumor RNA Sequencing Analysis for Difficult-to-Treat Pediatric and Young Adult Patients With Cancer.

Importance: Pediatric cancers are epigenetic diseases; therefore, considering tumor gene expression information is necessary for a complete understanding of the tumorigenic processes.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and utility of incorporating comparative gene expression information into the precision medicine framework for difficult-to-treat pediatric and young adult patients with cancer.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This cohort study was conducted as a consortium between the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) Treehouse Childhood Cancer Initiative and clinical genomic trials.

Pediatric Cancer Patients' Treatment Journey: Child, Adolescent, and Young Adult Cancer Narratives.

Purpose: The National Cancer Institute has acknowledged that for children, adolescents and young adults (AYAs), cancer is a leading cause of disability and death. This population has unique needs and until we fully understand those needs, we will not be able to provide optimal care. The purpose of this study was to understand the self-reported experience of cancer according to children and AYAs.

Testicular tissue cryopreservation: 8 years of experience from a coordinated network of academic centers.

Study Question: Is it feasible to disseminate testicular tissue cryopreservation with a standardized protocol through a coordinated network of centers and provide centralized processing/freezing for centers that do not have those capabilities?

Summary Answer: Centralized processing and freezing of testicular tissue from multiple sites is feasible and accelerates recruitment, providing the statistical power to make inferences that may inform fertility preservation practice.

What Is Known Already: Several centers in the USA and abroad are preserving testicular biopsies for patients who cannot preserve sperm in anticipation that cell- or tissue-based therapies can be used in the future to generate sperm and offspring.

Study Design, Size, Duration: Testicular tissue samples from 189 patients were cryopreserved between January 2011 and November 2018.

Empowering Adolescents and Young Adults to Support, Lead, and Thrive: Development and Validation of an AYA Oncology Child Life Program.

Purpose: The majority of cancer treatment programs do not focus on the unique psychosocial support needs of adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients. Recognizing this disparity, a freestanding children's hospital utilized an interdisciplinary approach to bridge the gap and develop a comprehensive program to address issues specific to new diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship in AYA oncology patients.

Methods And Interventions: A pediatric hospital formed a multidisciplinary team to educate, engage, and empower AYAs to participate in the development of a comprehensive program.

Single-cell transcriptomes reveal the mechanism for a breast cancer prognostic gene panel.

The clinical benefits of the MammaPrint signature for breast cancer is well documented; however, how these genes are related to cell cycle perturbation have not been well determined. Our single-cell transcriptome mapping (algorithm) provides details into the fine perturbation of all individual genes during a cell cycle, providing a view of the cell-cycle-phase specific landscape of any given human genes. Specifically, we identified that 38 out of the 70 (54%) MammaPrint signature genes are perturbated to a specific phase of the cell cycle.