Guideline for Children With Cancer Receiving General Anesthesia for Procedures and Imaging.

2022

2022 Mar 01

1536-3678

<p>Children with cancer and those undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation frequently require anesthesia for imaging as well as diagnostic and therapeutic procedures from diagnosis through follow-up. Due to their underlying disease and side effects of chemotherapy and radiation, they are at risk for complications during this time, yet no published guideline exists for preanesthesia preparation. A comprehensive literature review served as the basis for discussions among our multidisciplinary panel of oncologists, anesthesiologists, nurse practitioners, clinical pharmacists, pediatric psychologists, surgeons and child life specialists at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Due to limited literature available, this panel created an expert consensus guideline addressing anesthesia preparation for this population.</p>

10.1097/MPH.0000000000002430

J Pediatr Hematol Oncol

35235547

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children and COVID-19 are distinct presentations of SARS-CoV-2.

2020

2020 Jul 30

1558-8238

<p><strong>BACKGROUND: </strong>Initial reports from the Severe Acute Respiratory Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic described children as being less susceptible to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) than adults. Subsequently, a severe and novel pediatric disorder termed Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) emerged. We report on unique hematologic and immunologic parameters that distinguish between COVID-19 and MIS-C and provide insight into pathophysiology.</p>

<p><strong>METHODS: </strong>We prospectively enrolled hospitalized patients with evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection and classified them as having MIS-C or COVID-19. Patients with COVID-19 were classified as having either minimal or severe disease. Cytokine profiles, viral cycle thresholds (Cts), blood smears, and soluble C5b-9 values were analyzed with clinical data. Twenty patients were enrolled (9 severe COVID-19, 5 minimal COVID-19, and 6 MIS-C). Five cytokines (IFN-γ, IL-10, IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α) contributed to the analysis. TNF-α and IL-10 discriminated between patients with MIS-C and severe COVID-19. Cts and burr cells on blood smears also differentiated between patients with severe COVID-19 and those with MIS-C.</p>

<p><strong>CONCLUSION: </strong>Pediatric patients with SARS-CoV-2 are at risk for critical illness with severe COVID-19 and MIS-C. Cytokine profiling and examination of peripheral blood smears may distinguish between patients with MIS-C and severe COVID-19.</p>

10.1172/JCI140970

J. Clin. Invest.

32730233

Delayed cancer diagnoses and high mortality in children during the COVID-19 pandemic.

2020

e28427

2020 Jun 26

1545-5017

10.1002/pbc.28427

Pediatr Blood Cancer

32588960

Evaluation of the Pediatric Research Participation Questionnaire for Measuring Attitudes Toward Cancer Clinical Trials among Adolescents and Young Adults.

2019

2019 Apr 26

2156-535X

<p>Reasons for the relatively low rates of adolescent and young adults (AYA) enrollment in cancer clinical trials in the United States require further empirical examination. In addition to structural factors such as lack of access and insurance barriers, attitudes toward clinical trials may be important to consider. This study aimed to evaluate and validate the Pediatric Research Participation Questionnaire (PRPQ)-a measure of attitudes to clinical trials adapted for AYA (15-29) with cancer and their caregivers. One hundred twenty-four AYA and 94 caregivers completed the PRPQ-AYA and measures of clinical trial knowledge and developmental/emotional maturity. Factor analysis evaluated the PRPQ-AYA structure, interitem reliability was computed, and Pearson correlations examined associations of validation measures with factor scores and computed scores reflecting perceived barriers, perceived benefits, and decision balance. Confirmatory factor analysis did not confirm the prior PRPQ factor structure. Exploratory factor analysis suggested a new four-factor structure for: AYA (1) trust/mistrust, (2) barriers/costs, (3) support for participation, and (4) incentives; and caregivers (1) trust/access, (2) mistrust/costs, (3) support for participation, and (4) risks to AYA. Factor scores and barriers, benefits, and decision balance scores demonstrated acceptable interitem reliability and were significantly correlated with clinical trial knowledge and emotional maturity in the expected direction. PRPQ-AYA factor structure for AYA and caregivers varied and should be interpreted cautiously due to limited power. Simple solutions of perceived benefits, perceived barriers, and decision balance were reliable and valid and provide important information to address and engage AYA through the clinical trial informed consent process.</p>

10.1089/jayao.2018.0144

J Adolesc Young Adult Oncol

31025898

Creation of a pediatric mature B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma cohort within the Pediatric Health Information System Database.

2017

e0186960

2017

1932-6203

<p>Mature B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL) constitutes a collection of relatively rare pediatric malignancies. In order to utilize administrative data to perform large-scale epidemiologic studies within this population, a two-step process was used to assemble a 12-year cohort of B-NHL patients treated between 2004 and 2015 within the Pediatric Health Information System database. Patients were identified by ICD-9 codes, and their chemotherapy data were then manually reviewed against standard B-NHL treatment regimens. A total of 1,409 patients were eligible for cohort inclusion. This process was validated at a single center, utilizing both an institutional tumor registry and medical record review as the gold standards. The validation demonstrated appropriate sensitivity (91.5%) and positive predictive value (95.1%) to allow for the future use of this cohort for epidemiologic and comparative effectiveness research.</p>

10.1371/journal.pone.0186960

PLoS ONE

29059235

Mucosal Barrier Injury Central-Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections: What is the Impact of Standard Prevention Bundles?

2017

1-2

2017 Sep 06

1559-6834

10.1017/ice.2017.188

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol

28874212

Patient and hospital factors associated with induction mortality in acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

2014

846-52

2014 May

1545-5017

<p><strong>BACKGROUND: </strong>Deaths during induction chemotherapy for pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) account for one-tenth of ALL-associated mortality and half of ALL treatment-related mortality. We sought to ascertain patient- and hospital-level factors associated with induction mortality.</p>

<p><strong>PROCEDURE: </strong>We performed a retrospective cohort analysis of 8,516 children ages 0 to &lt;19 years with newly diagnosed ALL admitted to freestanding US children's hospitals from 1999 to 2009 using the Pediatric Health Information System database. Induction mortality risk was modeled accounting for demographics, intensive care unit-level interventions, and socioeconomic status (SES) using Cox regression. The association of ALL induction mortality with hospital-level factors including volume, hospital-wide mortality and payer mix was analyzed with multiple linear regression.</p>

<p><strong>RESULTS: </strong>ALL induction mortality was 1.12%. Race and patient-level SES factors were not associated with induction mortality. Patients receiving both mechanical ventilation and vasoactive infusions experienced nearly 50% mortality (hazard ratio 122.30, 95% CI 66.56-224.80). Institutions in the highest induction mortality quartile contributed 27% of all patients but nearly half of all deaths (47 of 95). Hospital payer mix was associated with ALL induction mortality after adjustment for other hospital-level factors (P = 0.046).</p>

<p><strong>CONCLUSIONS: </strong>The overall risk of induction death is low but substantially increased in patients with cardio-respiratory and other organ failures. Induction mortality varies up to three-fold across hospitals and is correlated with hospital payer mix. Further work is needed to improve induction outcomes in hospitals with higher mortality. These data suggest an induction mortality rate of less than 1% may be an attainable national benchmark.</p>

10.1002/pbc.24855

Pediatr Blood Cancer

24249480

Establishment of an 11-year cohort of 8733 pediatric patients hospitalized at United States free-standing children's hospitals with de novo acute lymphoblastic leukemia from health care administrative data.

2014

e1-6

2014 Jan

1537-1948

<p><strong>BACKGROUND: </strong>Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) accounts for almost one quarter of pediatric cancer in the United States. Despite cooperative group therapeutic trials, there remains a paucity of large cohort data on which to conduct epidemiology and comparative effectiveness research studies.</p>

<p><strong>RESEARCH DESIGN: </strong>We designed a 3-step process utilizing International Classification of Diseases-9 Clinical Modification (ICD-9) discharge diagnoses codes and chemotherapy exposure data contained in the Pediatric Health Information System administrative database to establish a cohort of children with de novo ALL. This process was validated by chart review at 1 of the pediatric centers.</p>

<p><strong>RESULTS: </strong>An ALL cohort of 8733 patients was identified with a sensitivity of 88% [95% confidence interval (CI), 83%-92%] and a positive predictive value of 93% (95% CI, 89%-96%). The 30-day all cause inpatient case fatality rate using this 3-step process was 0.80% (95% CI, 0.63%-1.01%), which was significantly different than the case fatality rate of 1.40% (95% CI, 1.23%-1.60%) when ICD-9 codes alone were used.</p>

<p><strong>CONCLUSIONS: </strong>This is the first report of assembly and validation of a cohort of de novo ALL patients from a database representative of free-standing children's hospitals across the United States. Our data demonstrate that the use of ICD-9 codes alone to establish cohorts will lead to substantial patient misclassification and result in biased outcome estimates. Systematic methods beyond the use of just ICD-9 codes must be used before analysis to establish accurate cohorts of patients with malignancy. A similar approach should be followed when establishing future cohorts from administrative data.</p>

10.1097/MLR.0b013e31824deff9

Med Care

22410405

A prospective study of chemotherapy immunologic effects and predictors of humoral influenza vaccine responses in a pediatric oncology cohort.

2013

1158-67

2013 Nov

1750-2659

<p><strong>BACKGROUND: </strong>Pediatric oncology patients represent a cohort of individuals uniquely at risk of complications from influenza, yet less likely to respond to the vaccine. It is not yet clear how to best protect this vulnerable population.</p>

<p><strong>METHODS: </strong>We performed a prospective analysis of 177 pediatric oncology patients to define the predictors of influenza vaccine responses. Each variable was examined over three time points and a repeated measure analysis was performed.</p>

<p><strong>RESULTS: </strong>Patients with ALL vaccinated during induction phase had superior influenza vaccine responses than those subjects vaccinated during post-induction or maintenance phases (P=0·0237). Higher aggregate HAI titer responses were associated with a higher baseline B-cell count (P=0·0240), and higher CD4 and CD8 influenza-specific T-cell responses, suggesting prior antigen exposure is a significant contributor. The solid tumor cohort had equivalent responses during all time frames of chemotherapy.</p>

<p><strong>DISCUSSION: </strong>The optimal protection from influenza of pediatric patients on chemotherapy should include vaccination, but it is clear that not all patients produce high titers of antibodies after vaccination. This study identified biomarkers that could be used to individualize vaccine approaches. Immunologic predictors might have a role in targeting resources, as B-cell counts predicted of vaccine responses among the patients with ALL.</p>

10.1111/irv.12058

Influenza Other Respir Viruses

23199016

Protecting pediatric oncology patients from influenza.

2013

204-11

2013 Feb

1549-490X

<p>Influenza is a common respiratory pathogen. Its severity can be unpredictable, but people with chronic illness are at increased risk of severe infection, complications, and death from influenza. This review examines evidence to support various strategies to protect pediatric oncology patients from influenza-related morbidity. Influenza vaccination should be considered standard. Additional evidence-supported measures include antiviral treatment, antiviral prophylaxis, cohorting of patients, and hospital infection control measures. Data from other high-risk populations support the vaccination of family members, double-dose or high-dose vaccination, and the use of barrier methods. These measures have the potential to optimize patient outcomes because there will be fewer treatment interruptions for acute illness. These strategies can also protect patients from prolonged hospitalizations and morbidity related to influenza.</p>

10.1634/theoncologist.2012-0401

Oncologist

23370325