Aynur Oguz

Late cardiac evaluation of children with solid tumors after anthracycline chemotherapy.

The therapeutic potential of anthracycline antibiotics is limited by their cardiotoxicity. Electrocardiography, exercise testing, and two‐dimensional echocardiography are non‐invasive techniques used in the follow‐up of children for cardiotoxicity. Plasma B‐type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels are thought to be useful markers in the early detection of AC induced cardiomyopathy.

ARM ANTHROPOMETRY IN EVALUATION OF MALNUTRITION IN CHILDREN WITH CANCER

Malnutrition in children with cancer is reported to be relatively uncommon at the time of diagnosis. However, in most studies nutritional status measurement has relied almost exclusively on weight-related indices. This can be misleading, because in children with malignancy, tumor masses can reach more than 10% of total body weight. A controlled study was performed in 62 patients using arm anthropometry to provide a more accurate evaluation of the nutritional status of children with cancer at presentation. Height, weight, midupper arm circumference (MUAC), and triceps skinfold thickness (TSFT) were measured in all patients (40 boys, 22 girls) and controls (18 boys, 13 girls). Weight for height (WFH) of each patient was compared with the national standards. MUAC and TSFT were also interpreted according to the standards developed by A. Roberto Frisancho. The mean ages were 6.5 +/- 3.7 years (range 0.08-13) and 5.7 +/- 4.7 years (range 0.25-15) in patients and control group, respectively. Results showed that although the WFH values for patients were normal, MUAC and TSFT values were significantly less than control values (P < 0.001). Moreover, 27% of patients showed malnutrition (they had MUAC and TSFT below 5th percentile). Patients with intraabdominal solid tumors had significantly lower MUAC and TSFT values than those with extraabdominal solid tumors (P < 0.05). The data strongly indicate that malnutrition is common at the time of diagnosis in children with cancer, and arm anthropometry should replace the use of weight-related indices to identify malnutrition in children.

Complementary/alternative medicine use in a pediatric oncology unit in Turkey

Important in the cancer therapy is the increasingly use of complementary/alternative medicine (CAM). The current study aims to establish the extent of use, the types of therapies employed, factors influencing, the reasons for choosing and the cost of CAM used in pediatric cancer patients in our clinic in Ankara, Turkey.

EVALUATION OF PERIPHERAL LYMPHADENOPATHY IN CHILDREN

The aim of this study was to evaluate children with lymphadenopathy and clinical approach to the suspicion of malignancy. The authors evaluated 457 patients with peripheral lymphadenopathy, less than 19 years of age, and referred to the Pediatric Oncology Department of Gazi University Medical School during the periods March 1996–April 2004. A total of 346 patients had benign disorders and 111 had malignant pathologies. Excisional biopsies were performed to 134 patients. A specific etiology could be found 39% in the benign group. Of the 457 patients, 218 were presented as acute, the rest as chronic lymphadenopathy. In the acute lymphadenopathy group, 98.2% of the patients had benign etiologies. The malignant disorders were mostly represented as chronic lymphadenopathy. Concerning the extension, 193 patients had localized lymphadenopathy and 264 had generalized lymphadenopaties. Cervical region was the most frequent site in both localized and generalized lymphadenopathy groups. Malignancies occurred as generalized lymphadenopathy. Supraclavicular area were involved only in the malignant group. Axillary involvement was predominant in BCG vaccine associated lymphadenitis and mycobacterium tuberculosis. All the lymph nodes less than 1 cm were due to benign causes. The malignant lesions were usually more than 3 cm in diameters. The following findings should alert the pediatrician for the probability of a malignant disorder: lymphadenopathy of more than 3 cm in size, of more than 4 weeks in duration, with supraclavicular involvement, and with abnormal laboratory and radiological findings.

Osteoblastoma response to radiotherapy and chemotherapy

Osteoblastoma is a rare primary bone tumor that is curable by complete excision. There are few data about the effectiveness of chemotherapy or radiotherapy in the treatment of recurrent osteoblastoma. We report a 13-year-old girl wit recurrent osteoblastoma who, after in complete surgical excision, responded to treatment with radiotherapy and later with chemotherapy. Surgery remains the treatment of choice for osteoblastoma. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy either alone or together may be useful in selected patients with recurrent, aggressive tumor or in patients with surgically unresectable disease.

Prognostic factors and treatment outcome in childhood hodgkin disease

The goals of this study included: (1) Identification of factors prognostic for event‐free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS), and (2) Definition of risk groups for risk adapted therapy in children with Hodgkin disease (HD).

EXPERIENCE WITH CEFEPIME VERSUS MEROPENEM AS EMPIRIC MONOTHERAPY FOR NEUTROPENIA AND FEVER IN PEDIATRIC PATIENTS WITH SOLID TUMORS

A prospective, open-label, randomized, comparative study in pediatric cancer patients was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of cefepime and meropenem in the empiric therapy of febrile neutropenic patients. Febrile episodes were classified as microbiologically documented infection, clinical documented infection, or fever of unknown origin. Clinical response to therapy was classified as success or failure. In this period 37 children with solid tumors including lymphoma, 25 males, 12 females, had neutropenia on 65 occasions. Microbiologically documented infections occurred in 21 episodes (32.31%). Frequency of positive bacteria isolated was higher than gram-negative bacteria. There was no infection-related death. There were no statistical differences between the cefepime and meropenem groups for duration of fever or neutropenia, response rate, and necessity for modification. Cefepime appears to be as effective and safe as meropenem for empiric treatment of febrile episodes in neutropenic pediatric cancer patients.

Moyamoya Syndrome After Radiation Therapy for Optic Pathway Glioma: Case Report

We present a 4-year-old girl with neurofibromatosis-1 who developed moyamoya syndrome characterized by bilateral stenosis or occlusion of the distal internal carotid arteries and their branches, leading to the development of an abnormal vascular network. In light of a literature review, the postradiation vasculopathy of the moyamoya type and its relationship with neurofibromatosis-1 are discussed. (J Child Neurol 2000;15:765-767).

Nodular regenerative hyperplasia and focal nodular hyperplasia of the liver mimicking hepatic metastasis in children with solid tumors and a review of literature.

Nodular regenerative hyperplasia (NRH) and focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) of the liver rarely occur in children after completion of tumor therapy. These lesions mimic hepatic metastasis and they must be distinguished from metastatic lesions. The authors present 2 children, one with NRH and one with FNH, after undergoing antineoplastic therapy for non-hepatic childhood solid tumors and discuss their patients in the context of the literature.

Assessment of the immune response to trivalent split influenza vaccine in children with solid tumors

To assess the immune response to influenza vaccine in children with solid tumors receiving chemotherapy or under the influence of chemotherapy.