Impact of Conditioning Regimen on Outcomes for Children with Acute Myeloid Leukemia Undergoing Transplantation in First Complete Remission. An Analysis on Behalf of the Pediatric Disease Working Party of the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) represents the cornerstone of treatment in pediatric high-risk and relapsed acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The aim of the present study was to compare outcomes of pediatric patients with AML undergoing HSCT using 3 different conditioning regimens: total body irradiation (TBI) and cyclophosphamide (Cy); busulfan (Bu) and Cy; or Bu, Cy, and melphalan (Mel). In this retrospective study, registry data for patients > 2 and <18 years age undergoing matched allogeneic HSCT for AML in first complete remission (CR1) in 204 European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation centers between 2000 and 2010 were analyzed.

Management and Outcome of Uveal Melanoma in a Single Tertiary Cancer Center in Jordan.

Objective: The aim of this study was evaluate the features and outcome of management of uveal melanoma in King Hussein Cancer Center as an example of a referral tertiary cancer center in the Middle East.

Material And Method: This was aetrospective, observational case series of 46 eyes of 46 patients with uveal melanoma. Data collection required access to medical records, radiology and pathology reports, and laboratory results.

Jordan tobacco dependence treatment guidelines: rationale and development.

Jordan, a high tobacco-burden country, has been working to expand its tobacco dependence treatment services and has completed development of its first customized treatment guidelines. Our paper presents the development process for these guidelines. A group of national and international experts was formed and a national situation analysis for tobacco dependence treatment practices and a detailed review of international evidence were conducted.

Chemoreduction of Progressive Intraocular Retinoblastoma by Systemic Topotecan.

Purpose: To evaluate our experience with systemic Toptecan (TPT) chemotherapy as a second-line systemic chemotherapeutic regimen for treatment of refractory or recurrent intraocular retinoblastoma (RB).

Methods And Materials: A retrospective case series of 14 eyes from patients with intraocular RB who received systemic TPT as second-line chemotherapy from April 2008 until June 2010. The following data were collected: patient demographics, laterality, international intraocular retinoblastoma stage (ICRB) at diagnosis, treatment received before and after TPT, side effects related to TPT, eye salvage, and survival.

Improvement in Adherence to Surgical Antimicrobial Prophylaxis Guidelines after Implementation of a Multidisciplinary Quality Improvement Project.

Objectives: This study aimed to show the impact of a multidisciplinary quality improvement project on adherence to antimicrobial prophylaxis guidelines in oncological surgery.

Methods: This pre- and post-intervention prospective observational study was carried out at the King Hussein Cancer Centre (KHCC) in Amman, Jordan, between August 2009 and February 2012. The quality improvement project consisted of revising the institutional guidelines for surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis, assigning a clinical pharmacist to the surgical department, establishing an operating room satellite pharmacy and providing education regarding the appropriate utilisation of antibiotics.

Characterization, treatment, and outcome of uveal melanoma in the first two years of life.

Background And Objectives: Features and characteristics of uveal melanoma are well described in adults, but little is known about the presentation of uveal melanoma in infancy.

Design: Systematic literature review.

Methods: A review of published, peer-reviewed literature reporting on uveal melanoma presenting during the first two years of life.

Use of human surplus biospecimens in research: a survey from a cancer centre.

Little is known about the public's views on the use of human biospecimens for research in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. A study at a cancer centre in Amman, Jordan, assessed patients' perceptions about the use of blood and tissue samples obtained during clinical care and the use of these in research. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to a sample of 205 adult cancer patients.

The use of high frequency oscillatory ventilation in a pediatric oncology intensive care unit.

Background: High frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) has been successfully used in the management of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in children. The aim of our study is to determine its effectiveness in pediatric patients with cancer or post hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) diagnosed with ARDS.

Procedure: A retrospective case review, in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) in a tertiary-care oncology center in Amman, Jordan.

Chromosome 3q29 deletion with gastrointestinal malformation: a case report.

Introduction: Most chromosome 3 deletions are associated with neuro-developmental and eye abnormalities. Here, we report a rare and unusual multiple congenital abnormality, including ano-rectal malformation, in conjunction with chromosome 3q29 segment deletion, which has not previously been reported.

Case Presentation: A three-month-old female Jordanian baby presented with an absent anus and corneal opacities and was referred for further management after a diverting colostomy operation at the age of one day.

Ileocaecal intussusception secondary to metastatic phyllodes tumour of the breast.

A patient with phyllodes tumour of the breast is discussed. During follow-up, she presented with intestinal obstruction caused by ileocaecal intussusception. The cause of the intussusception was metastatic phyllodes tumour, which is a unique presentation.

Age, stage, and radiotherapy, but not primary tumor site, affects the outcome of patients with malignant rhabdoid tumors.

Background: Malignant rhabdoid tumors (MRTs) are aggressive and often fatal; the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database offers an opportunity to study this rare malignancy.

Methods: From the SEER database, we extracted records of patients with a reported diagnosis of MRT and analyzed them for clinical features and survival rates by univariate and multivariate analyses.

Results: For the 229 patients included in our data, who were diagnosed from 1986 to 2005, primary tumors were located in the central nervous system (CNS) (35%), kidneys (20%), and extra-renal non-cranial sites (ERNC-MRTs) (45%).

Local control of the primary tumour in metastatic neuroblastoma.

The previous studies have stressed on the importance of loco-regional control in the management of high-risk neuroblastoma. We searched the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End-Results (SEER) database for patients older than 2years with metastatic neuroblastoma who were diagnosed from 1998 to 2005. We identified 291 patients (mean age, 4.

From upfront nephrectomy to preoperative chemotherapy and back: a single institution experience in the treatment of Wilms tumor.

Background: Over the past decades, 2 different approaches for the treatment of Wilms tumor have emerged: upfront nephrectomy (UN) and preoperative chemotherapy (PC), with adjuvant treatment adjusted to stage, histology, and chemotherapy response.

Methods: In July 2005, we switched our strategy from UN to PC. This study is a retrospective review of patients treated at our institution between January 2003 and October 2007.

Diffuse pontine glioma in Jordan and impact of up-front prognosis disclosure with parents and families.

For patients with diffuse pontine glioma, our institution offers local radiotherapy and supportive care only. The prognosis and do-not-resuscitate orders are discussed upfront with patients' parents. To investigate the effectiveness of this policy, we retrospectively reviewed records of patients with diffuse pontine glioma treated at the institution over a 49-month period.

Uterine neoplasms composed of rhabdoid cells do not exhibit loss of INI1 immunoreactivity and are not related to childhood malignant rhabdoid tumor.

Malignant rhabdoid tumors are rare childhood neoplasms which occur most commonly in the kidneys, soft tissue, and central nervous system. They are characterized by cells with eccentric vesicular nuclei, prominent nucleoli, and abundant eosinophilic cytoplasm. Recently, it has been demonstrated that malignant rhabdoid tumors in childhood are characterized by biallelic deletion or mutation involving the SMARCB1/INI1 gene on chromosome 22.

Team management, twinning, and telemedicine in retinoblastoma: a 3-tier approach implemented in the first eye salvage program in Jordan.

Background: This study evaluated the outcome of retinoblastoma patients, when employing a telemedicine-based twinning program in Jordan.

Procedure: This cohort study included patients at the King Hussein Cancer Centre (KHCC; Amman, Jordan) who received consultations for retinoblastoma from March 2003 to September 2006. A collaborative program was established with the International Outreach Program at St.