618 Gynäkologie, Geburtsmedizin, Pädiatrie, Geriatrie
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Background and purpose
Pediatric adrenocortical carcinoma (pACC) is a rare disease with poor prognosis. Publications on radiotherapy (RT) are scarce. This review summarizes the current data on RT for pACC and possibly provides first evidence to justify its use in this setting.
Materials and methods
We searched the PubMed and Embase database for manuscripts regarding RT for pACC.
Results
We included 17 manuscripts reporting on 76 patients treated with RT, after screening 2961 references and 269 full articles. In addition, we added data of 4 unreported pACC patients treated by co-authors. All reports based on retrospective data. Median age at first diagnosis was 11.1 years (70% female); 78% of patients presented with hormonal activity. RT was mostly performed for curative intent (78%). 88% of RT were administered during primary therapy. The site of RT was predominantly the local tumor bed (76%). Doses of RT ranged from 15 to 62 Gy (median 50 Gy). Information on target volumes or fractionation were lacking. Median follow-up was 6,9 years and 64% of the patients died of disease, with 33% alive without disease. In 16 of 48 patients with available follow-up data after adjuvant RT (33%) no recurrence was reported and in 3 of 9 patients palliative RT seemed to induce some benefit for the patient.
Conclusions
Our first systematic review on RT for pACC provides too few data for any general recommendation, but adjuvant RT in patients with high risk might be considered. International collaborative studies are urgently needed to establish better evidence on the role of RT in this rare malignancy.
Background:
We determined antibodies to the pandemic influenza A (H1N1) 2009 virus in children to assess: the incidence of (H1N1) 2009 infections in the 2009/2010 season in Germany, the proportion of subclinical infections and to compare titers in vaccinated and infected children.
Methodology/Principal Findings:
Eight pediatric hospitals distributed over Germany prospectively provided sera from in-or outpatients aged 1 to 17 years from April 1(st) to July 31(st) 2010. Vaccination history, recall of infections and sociodemographic factors were ascertained. Antibody titers were measured with a sensitive and specific in-house hemagglutination inhibition test (HIT) and compared to age-matched sera collected during 6 months before the onset of the pandemic in Germany. We analyzed 1420 post-pandemic and 300 pre-pandemic sera. Among unvaccinated children aged 1-4 and 5-17 years the prevalence of HI titers (>= 1:10) was 27.1% (95% CI: 23.5-31.3) and 53.5% (95% CI: 50.9-56.2) compared to 1.7% and 5.5%, respectively, for pre-pandemic sera, accounting for a serologically determined incidence of influenza A (H1N1) 2009 during the season 2009/2010 of 25,4% (95% CI : 19.3-30.5) in children aged 1-4 years and 48.0% (95% CI: 42.6-52.0) in 5-17 year old children. Of children with HI titers >= 1: 10, 25.5% (95% CI: 22.5-28.8) reported no history of any infectious disease since June 2009. Among vaccinated children, 92% (95%-CI: 87.0-96.6) of the 5-17 year old but only 47.8% (95%-CI: 33.5-66.5) of the 1-4 year old children exhibited HI titers against influenza A virus (H1N1) 2009.
Conclusion:
Serologically determined incidence of influenza A (H1N1) 2009 infections in children indicates high infection rates with older children (5-17 years) infected twice as often as younger children. In about a quarter of the children with HI titers after the season 2009/2010 subclinical infections must be assumed. Low HI titers in young children after vaccination with the AS03(B)-adjuvanted split virion vaccine need further scrutiny.
Background
Influenza virus infections in immunologically naïve children (primary infection) may be more severe than in children with re-infections who are already immunologically primed. We compared frequency and severity of influenza virus primary and re-infections in pre-school children requiring outpatient treatment.
Methods
Influenza-unvaccinated children 1–5 years of age presenting at pediatric practices with febrile acute respiratory infection < 48 h after symptom onset were enrolled in a prospective, cross-sectional, multicenter surveillance study (2013–2015). Influenza types/subtypes were PCR-confirmed from oropharyngeal swabs. Influenza type/subtype-specific IgG antibodies serving as surrogate markers for immunological priming were determined using ELISA/hemagglutination inhibition assays. The acute influenza disease was defined as primary infection/re-infection by the absence/presence of influenza type-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) and, in a second approach, by the absence/presence of subtype-specific IgG. Socio-demographic and clinical data were also recorded.
Results
Of 217 influenza infections, 178 were due to influenza A (87 [49%] primary infections, 91 [51%] re-infections) and 39 were due to influenza B (38 [97%] primary infections, one [3%] re-infection). Children with “influenza A primary infections” showed fever with respiratory symptoms for a shorter period than children with “influenza A re-infections” (median 3 vs. 4 days; age-adjusted p = 0.03); other disease characteristics were similar. If primary infections and re-infections were defined based on influenza A subtypes, 122 (87%) primary infections (78 “A(H3N2) primary infections”, 44 “A(H1N1)pdm09 primary infections”) and 18 (13%) re-infections could be classified (14 “A(H3N2) re-infections” and 4 “A(H1N1)pdm09 re-infections”). Per subtype, primary infections and re-infections were of similar disease severity. Children with re-infections defined on the subtype level usually had non-protective IgG titers against the subtype of their acute infection (16 of 18; 89%). Some patients infected by one of the influenza A subtypes showed protective IgG titers (≥ 1:40) against the other influenza A subtype (32/140; 23%).
Conclusions
Pre-school children with acute influenza A primary infections and re-infections presented with similar frequency in pediatric practices. Contrary to expectation, severity of acute “influenza A primary infections” and “influenza A re-infections” were similar. Most “influenza A re-infections” defined on the type level turned out to be primary infections when defined based on the subtype. On the subtype level, re-infections were rare and of similar disease severity as primary infections of the same subtype. Subtype level re-infections were usually associated with low IgG levels for the specific subtype of the acute infection, suggesting only short-time humoral immunity induced by previous infection by this subtype. Overall, the results indicated recurring influenza virus infections in this age group and no or only limited heterosubtypic antibody-mediated cross-protection.
Background
Mammography and ultrasound are the gold standard imaging techniques for preoperative assessment and for monitoring the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer. Maximum accuracy in predicting pathological tumor size non-invasively is critical for individualized therapy and surgical planning. We therefore aimed to assess the accuracy of tumor size measurement by ultrasound and mammography in a multicentered health services research study.
Methods
We retrospectively analyzed data from 6543 patients with unifocal, unilateral primary breast cancer. The maximum tumor diameter was measured by ultrasound and/or mammographic imaging. All measurements were compared to final tumor diameter determined by postoperative histopathological examination. We compared the precision of each imaging method across different patient subgroups as well as the method-specific accuracy in each patient subgroup.
Results
Overall, the correlation with histology was 0.61 for mammography and 0.60 for ultrasound. Both correlations were higher in pT2 cancers than in pT1 and pT3. Ultrasound as well as mammography revealed a significantly higher correlation with histology in invasive ductal compared to lobular cancers (p < 0.01). For invasive lobular cancers, the mammography showed better correlation with histology than ultrasound (p = 0.01), whereas there was no such advantage for invasive ductal cancers. Ultrasound was significantly superior for HR negative cancers (p < 0.001). HER2/neu positive cancers were also more precisely assessed by ultrasound (p < 0.001). The size of HER2/neu negative cancers could be more accurately predicted by mammography (p < 0.001).
Conclusion
This multicentered health services research approach demonstrates that predicting tumor size by mammography and ultrasound provides accurate results. Biological tumor features do, however, affect the diagnostic precision.
Background:
Renal scans are among the most frequent exams performed on infants and toddlers. Due to the young age, this patient group can be classified as a high-risk group with a higher probability for developing stochastic radiation effects compared to adults. As there are only limited data on biokinetics and dosimetry in this patient group, the aim of this study was to reassess the dosimetry and the associated radiation risk for infants undergoing \(^{99m}\)Tc-MAG3 renal scans based on a retrospective analysis of existing patient data. Consecutive data were collected from 20 patients younger than 20 months (14 males; 6 females) with normal renal function undergoing \(^{99m}\)Tc-MAG3 scans. To estimate the patient-specific organ activity, a retrospective calibration was performed based on a set of two 3D-printed infant kidneys filled with known activities. Both phantoms were scanned at different positions along the anteroposterior axis inside a water phantom, providing depth- and size-dependent attenuation correction factors for planar imaging. Time-activity curves were determined by drawing kidney, bladder, and whole-body regions-of-interest for each patient, and subsequently applying the calibration factor for conversion of counts to activity. Patient-specific time-integrated activity coefficients were obtained by integrating the organ-specific time-activity curves. Absorbed and effective dose coefficients for each patient were assessed with OLINDA/EXM for the provided newborn and 1-year-old model. The risk estimation was performed individually for each of the 20 patients with the NCI Radiation Risk Assessment Tool.
Results:
The mean age of the patients was 7.0 ± 4.5 months, with a weight between 5 and 12 kg and a body size between 60 and 89 cm. The injected activities ranged from 12 to 24 MBq of \(^{99m}\)Tc-MAG3. The patients' organ-specific mean absorbed dose coefficients were 0.04 ± 0.03 mGy/MBq for the kidneys and 0.27 ± 0.24 mGy/MBq for the bladder. The mean effective dose coefficient was 0.02 ± 0.02 mSv/MBq. Based on the dosimetry results, an evaluation of the excess lifetime risk for the development of radiation-induced cancer showed that the group of newborns has a risk of 16.8 per 100,000 persons, which is about 12% higher in comparison with the 1-year-old group with 14.7 per 100,000 persons (all values are given as mean plus/minus one standard deviation except otherwise specified).
Conclusion:
In this study, we retrospectively derived new data on biokinetics and dosimetry for infants with normal kidney function after undergoing renal scans with \(^{99m}\)Tc-MAG3. In addition, we analyzed the associated age- and gender-specific excess lifetime risk due to ionizing radiation. The radiation-associated stochastic risk increases with the organ doses, taking age- and gender-specific influences into account. Overall, the lifetime radiation risk associated with the \(^{99m}\)Tc-MAG3 scans is very low in comparison to the general population risk for developing cancer.
Medulloblastoma is the most common high-grade brain tumor in childhood. Medulloblastomas with c-myc amplification, classified as group 3, are the most aggressive among the four disease subtypes resulting in a 5-year overall survival of just above 50%. Despite current intensive therapy regimens, patients suffering from group 3 medulloblastoma urgently require new therapeutic options. Using a recently established c-myc amplified human medulloblastoma cell line, we performed an in-vitro-drug screen with single and combinatorial drugs that are either already clinically approved or agents in the advanced stage of clinical development. Candidate drugs were identified in vitro and then evaluated in vivo. Tumor growth was closely monitored by BLI. Vessel development was assessed by 3D light-sheet-fluorescence-microscopy. We identified the combination of gemcitabine and axitinib to be highly cytotoxic, requiring only low picomolar concentrations when used in combination. In the orthotopic model, gemcitabine and axitinib showed efficacy in terms of tumor control and survival. In both models, gemcitabine and axitinib were better tolerated than the standard regimen comprising of cisplatin and etoposide phosphate. 3D light-sheet-fluorescence-microscopy of intact tumors revealed thinning and rarefication of tumor vessels, providing one explanation for reduced tumor growth. Thus, the combination of the two drugs gemcitabine and axitinib has favorable effects on preventing tumor progression in an orthotopic group 3 medulloblastoma xenograft model while exhibiting a favorable toxicity profile. The combination merits further exploration as a new approach to treat high-risk group 3 medulloblastoma.
Background:
Oligohydramnios sequence can be caused by renal tubular dysgenesis (RTD), a rare condition resulting in pulmonary and renal morbidity. Besides typical features of Potter-sequence, the infants present with severe arterial hypotension and anuria as main symptoms. Establishing an adequate arterial blood pressure and sufficient renal perfusion is crucial for the survival of these infants.
Case presentation:
We describe a male preterm infant of 34 + 0 weeks of gestation. Prenatally oligohydramnios of unknown cause was detected. After uneventful delivery and good adaptation the infant developed respiratory distress due to a spontaneous right-sided pneumothorax and required thoracocentesis and placement of a chest tube; he showed no major respiratory concerns thereafter and needed only minimal ventilatory support. Echocardiography revealed no abnormalities, especially no pulmonary hypertension. However, he suffered from severe arterial hypotension and anuria refractory to catecholamine therapy (dobutamine, epinephrine and noradrenaline). After 36 h of life, vasopressin therapy was initiated resulting in an almost immediate stabilization of arterial blood pressure and subsequent onset of diuresis. Therapy with vasopressin was necessary for three weeks to maintain adequate arterial blood pressure levels and diuresis. Sepsis and adrenal insufficiency were ruled out as inflammation markers, microbiological tests and cortisol level were normal. At two weeks of age, our patient developed electrolyte disturbances which were successfully treated with fludrocortisone. He did not need renal replacement therapy. Genetic analyses revealed a novel compound hyterozygous mutation of RTD. Now 17 months of age, the patient is in clinically stable condition with treatment of fludrocortisone and sodium bicarbonate. He suffers from stage 2 chronic kidney disease; blood pressure, motor and cognitive development are normal.
Conclusions:
RTD is a rare cause of oligohydramnios sequence. Next to pulmonary hypoplasia, severe arterial hypotension is responsible for poor survival. We present the only second surviving infant with RTD, who did not require renal replacement therapy during the neonatal period. It can be speculated whether the use of vasopressin prevents renal replacement therapy as vasopressin increases urinary output by improving renal blood flow.
Background
Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) has improved survival in high-risk childhood leukemia but is associated with long-term sequelae such as impaired pulmonary function and reduced exercise capacity impacting quality of life.
Methods
A convenience sample of 17 patients after allo-HSCT (HSCT—12 male, age 15.7±6.7 years, time after HSCT 5.3±2.8 years) underwent pulmonary function testing, echocardiography, and an incremental exercise test on a bike. Physical activity and health-related quality of life were assessed by questionnaires (7-day physical activity recall, PEDS-QL). Seventeen healthy age- and gender-matched controls served as control group (CG) for results of pulmonary function and exercise testing.
Results
HSCT showed reduced pulmonary function (HSCT vs. CG: FEV1 90.5±14.0 vs. 108.0±8.7%pred; FVC 88.4±19.3 vs. 107.6±6.9%pred, DLCO 75.3±23.6 vs. 104.9±12.8%pred) and exercise capacity (VO2peak 89±30.8%pred, CG 98±17.5%pred; Wmax 84±21.7%pred, CG 115±22.8%pred), but no relevant cardiac dysfunction and a good quality of life (PEDS-QL mean overall score 83.3±10.7). Differences in peak oxygen uptake between groups were mostly explained by 5 adolescent patients who underwent total body irradiation for conditioning. They showed significantly reduced diffusion capacity and reduced peak oxygen uptake.
Patients reported a mean time of inactivity of 777±159min/day, moderate activity of 110±107 min/day, hard activity of 35±36 min/day, and very hard activity of 23±22 min/day. A higher amount of inactivity was associated with a lower peak oxygen uptake (correlation coefficient tau −0.48, p=0.023).
Conclusions
This pilot study shows that although patients after allo-HSCT reported a good quality of life, regular physical activity and exercise capacity are reduced in survivors of stem cell transplantation, especially in adolescents who are treated with total body irradiation for conditioning. Factors hindering regular physical activity need to be identified and exercise counseling should be part of follow-up visits in these patients.
Background: Beyond survival of nowadays >80%, modern childhood cancer treatment strives to preserve long-term health and quality of life. However, the majority of today’s survivors suffer from short- and long-term adverse effects such as cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases, obesity, osteoporosis, fatigue, depression, and reduced physical fitness and quality of life. Regular exercise can play a major role to mitigate or prevent such late-effects. Despite this, there are no data on the effects of regular exercise in childhood cancer survivors from randomized controlled trials (RCTs). \(Primary\) \(outcome\) of the current RCT is therefore the effect of a 12-months exercise program on a composite cardiovascular disease risk score in childhood cancer survivors. \(Secondary\) \(outcomes\) are single cardiovascular disease risk factors, glycaemic control, bone health, body composition, physical fitness, physical activity, quality of life, mental health, fatigue and adverse events (safety).
Methods: A total of 150 childhood cancer survivors aged ≥16 years and diagnosed ≥5 years prior to the study are recruited from Swiss paediatric oncology clinics. Following the baseline assessments patients are randomized 1:1 into an intervention and control group. Thereafter, they are seen at month 3, 6 and 12 for follow-up assessments. The intervention group is asked to add ≥2.5 h of intense physical activity/week, including 30 min of strength building and 2 h of aerobic exercises. In addition, they are told to reduce screen time by 25%. Regular consulting by physiotherapists, individual web-based activity diaries, and pedometer devices are used as motivational tools for the intervention group. The control group is asked to keep their physical activity levels constant.
Discussion: The results of this study will show whether a partially supervised exercise intervention can improve cardiovascular disease risk factors, bone health, body composition, physical activity and fitness, fatigue, mental health and quality of life in childhood cancer survivors. If the program will be effective, all relevant information of the SURfit physical activity intervention will be made available to interested clinics that treat and follow-up childhood cancer patients to promote exercise in their patients.
Measles, mumps and rubella are viral infectious diseases that may cause severe and devastating complications among affected individuals. The disease burden of all three diseases is high, but could be reduced entirely through successful vaccination strategies. As such, the WHO has established the goal of globally eliminating measles and rubella and concomitantly controlling the frequently co-vaccinated mumps.
In 2010, the WHO European Region member states agreed to strengthen efforts to eliminate measles and rubella from Europe by the end of 2015. As this date draws closer, progress analyses become increasingly relevant. In this systematic literature review, the immunization strategies, vaccination coverages and disease incidences of eleven European nations were assessed and their progress towards disease elimination evaluated.
Successful prevention of the endemic transmission of measles, mumps, or rubella could be achieved in several nations, including Sweden, Croatia, Greece and Spain. Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Turkey and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, though having improved their overall immunization rates, have not yet been able to reach the elimination goals. In Turkey, Italy and Poland, sharp increases in case numbers during recent years are potentially threatening the successful measles, mumps and rubella control in Europe.
Pockets of susceptible population groups that may contribute to the perpetuation of the diseases have been identified. They include infants and young children, adolescents and young adults, adolescent and adult males, recent immigrants and refugees,and traveling ethnic minority groups. Reasons for the increased risk of infection among these groups are manifold and a result of various historic and current vaccination practices, cultural, political and religious differences, as well as individual believes and concerns. Travel and migration of infected individuals to and between the various European nations also play an essential role in the continual transmission of measles, mumps and rubella in Europe. Only an adequate population-wide immunity can prevent the occurrence of major outbreaks due to viral importation. Efforts should therefore be made to immunize all population members able to receive vaccinations and to offer additional immunization opportunities to those susceptible population subgroups that are difficult to reach through routine vaccination programs.
In countries struggling to meet the WHO elimination goals, alternative immunization practices may be necessary. A uniform, European-wide MMR vaccination schedule based on the successful immunization methods of countries that have eliminated measles, mumps and rubella may be an effective tool for improving the overall population-wide immunity and controlling the three diseases. A model for such a schedule was created and includes strategies for reaching population members regardless of age, gender or migratory background. The implementation of uniform immunization recommendations is challenging, but the advantages in terms of improved vaccination, surveillance and disease control methods may be worth at least considering such a strategy in Europe.
Measles, mumps and rubella elimination may be attainable in the WHO European Region. The current epidemiological situation suggests that the goal is unlikely to be reached by the end of 2015, but through continued international efforts and collaboration, effective disease control could be achieved in the near future. In the meantime, improvements in immunization strategies, vaccination coverages, supplementary campaigns as well as disease notification systems and confirmations should be made on a national and international level, so that an adequate population-wide immunity can be established and the disease elimination progresses effectively monitored within the entire European region.