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Background: Rebound thymic hyperplasia (RTH) is a common phenomenon caused by stress factors such as chemotherapy (CTX) or radiotherapy, with an incidence between 44% and 67.7% in pediatric lymphoma. Misinterpretation of RTH and thymic lymphoma relapse (LR) may lead to unnecessary diagnostic procedures including invasive biopsies or treatment intensification. The aim of this study was to identify parameters that differentiate between RTH and thymic LR in the anterior mediastinum. Methods: After completion of CTX, we analyzed computed tomographies (CTs) and magnetic resonance images (MRIs) of 291 patients with classical Hodgkin lymphoma (CHL) and adequate imaging available from the European Network for Pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma C1 trial. In all patients with biopsy-proven LR, an additional fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET)-CT was assessed. Structure and morphologic configuration in addition to calcifications and presence of multiple masses in the thymic region and signs of extrathymic LR were evaluated. Results: After CTX, a significant volume increase of new or growing masses in the thymic space occurred in 133 of 291 patients. Without biopsy, only 98 patients could be identified as RTH or LR. No single finding related to thymic regrowth allowed differentiation between RTH and LR. However, the vast majority of cases with thymic LR presented with additional increasing tumor masses (33/34). All RTH patients (64/64) presented with isolated thymic growth. Conclusion: Isolated thymic LR is very uncommon. CHL relapse should be suspected when increasing tumor masses are present in distant sites outside of the thymic area. Conversely, if regrowth of lymphoma in other sites can be excluded, isolated thymic mass after CTX likely represents RTH.

Purpose:We investigated nilotinib exposure in pediatric patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) or Philadelphia chromosome–positive (Ph+) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) resistant to, relapsed on, refractory to, or intolerant of previous treatment.Patients and Methods:Fifteen patients (aged 1–n = 11) or Ph+ ALL relapsed on or refractory to standard therapy (n = 4) enrolled in this phase I study. Nilotinib (230 mg/m2 twice daily; equivalent to the adult 400-mg twice-daily dose) was administered orally in 12 or 24 cycles of 28 days. The primary objective was to characterize the pharmacokinetics of nilotinib in pediatric patients.Results:The area under the concentration–time curve at steady state was slightly lower in pediatric patients versus adults (14,751.4 vs. 17,102.9 ng/h/mL); the geometric mean ratio (GMR; pediatric:adult) was 0.86 [90% confidence interval (CI), 0.70–1.06]. Body surface area–adjusted systemic clearance was slightly higher in pediatric versus adult patients (GMR, 1.30; 90% CI, 1.04–1.62). Nilotinib was generally well tolerated. The most common adverse events were headache, vomiting, increased blood bilirubin, and rash. Three patients with CML achieved major molecular response, and three with Ph+ ALL achieved complete remission.Conclusions:Nilotinib 230 mg/m2 twice daily in pediatric patients provided a pharmacokinetics and safety profile comparable with the adult reference dose; clinical activity was demonstrated in both CML and Ph+ ALL. This dose is recommended for further evaluation in pediatric patients. The safety profile was consistent with that in adults.

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Dedicator of cytokinesis (DOCK) proteins play a central role in actin cytoskeleton regulation. This is highlighted by the DOCK2 and DOCK8 deficiencies leading to actinopathies and immune deficiencies. DOCK8 and DOCK11 activate CDC42, a RHO-GTPase involved in actin cytoskeleton dynamics, among many cellular functions. The role of DOCK11 in human immune disease has been long suspected but has never been described so far. We studied eight male patients, from seven unrelated families, with hemizygous DOCK11 missense variants leading to reduced DOCK11 expression. The patients were presenting with early-onset autoimmunity, including cytopenia, systemic lupus erythematosus, skin, and digestive manifestations. Patients' platelets exhibited abnormal ultrastructural morphology and spreading as well as impaired CDC42 activity. In vitro activated T cells and B lymphoblastoid cell lines (B-LCL) of patients exhibited aberrant protrusions and abnormal migration speed in confined channels concomitant with altered actin polymerization during migration. A DOCK11 knock-down recapitulated these abnormal cellular phenotypes in monocytes-derived dendritic cells (MDDC) and primary activated T cells from healthy controls. Lastly, in line with the patients' autoimmune manifestations, we also observed abnormal regulatory T cells (Tregs) phenotype with profoundly reduced FOXP3 and IKZF2 expression. Moreover, we found a reduced T cell proliferation and an impaired STAT5B phosphorylation upon IL2 stimulation of the patients' lymphocytes. In conclusion, DOCK11 deficiency is a new X-linked immune-related actinopathy leading to impaired CDC42 activity and STAT5 activation, and associated with abnormal actin cytoskeleton remodeling as well as Tregs phenotype culminating in immune dysregulation and severe early-onset autoimmunity.

Peripheral lymphopenia is a well-known negative prognostic marker in classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL). We characterized the peripheral B-cell compartment in a prospective cohort of 83 pediatric cHL patients. We observed significantly low total B-cell counts (100 cells/µl) in 31 of 83 patients (37%). More specifically, there was a smaller peripheral IgD

Purpose: We investigated nilotinib exposure in pediatric patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) or Philadelphia chromosome–positive (Ph+) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) resistant to, relapsed on, refractory to, or intolerant of previous treatment. Patients and Methods: Fifteen patients (aged 1– Results: The area under the concentration–time curve at steady state was slightly lower in pediatric patients versus adults (14,751.4 vs. 17,102.9 ng/h/mL); the geometric mean ratio (GMR; pediatric:adult) was 0.86 [90% confidence interval (CI), 0.70–1.06]. Body surface area–adjusted systemic clearance was slightly higher in pediatric versus adult patients (GMR, 1.30; 90% CI, 1.04–1.62). Nilotinib was generally well tolerated. The most common adverse events were headache, vomiting, increased blood bilirubin, and rash. Three patients with CML achieved major molecular response, and three with Ph+ ALL achieved complete remission. Conclusions: Nilotinib 230 mg/m2 twice daily in pediatric patients provided a pharmacokinetics and safety profile comparable with the adult reference dose; clinical activity was demonstrated in both CML and Ph+ ALL. This dose is recommended for further evaluation in pediatric patients. The safety profile was consistent with that in adults.

Our understanding of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) molecular biology has been radically transformed over recent years due to the advent and the spreading of the new generation sequencing approaches. These advances offer new insights about genetic predisposition to HL in children and are currently being translated into promising and more selective drugs (brentuximab and checkpoint inhibitors) offering the perspective to reduce treatment-related toxicity. Thus, as more than 90% of pediatric patients are cured after the first line treatment, a major emphasis is placed on survivorship by reducing treatment intensity, in particular, the use of radiotherapy and chemotherapy associated with long-term toxicities. The purposes of this review are to summarize the recent advances performed in the field of molecular biology of HL, in particular the promising development of liquid biopsies. We also provide an update review of immunodeficiencies associated to HL in children recently identified. Finally, we report the recent studies supporting the efficacy of new targeted therapeutics in adult and pediatric cHL (anti-CD30 and anti-PD1).

The aim was to analyze the role of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in the bioclinical characteristics of patients treated for classic Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) in France.Biopathologic data of 301 patients treated for a cHL in/or according to the EuroNet PHL-C1 trial between November 2008 and February 2013 were centrally reviewed.Median age at diagnosis was 14 (3 to 18) years and the F/M ratio 0.86, 0.47 before 10 years and 0.9 from 11 to 18. CHL subtypes were nodular sclerosis for 266/301 (88%) patients, mixed cellularity for 22/301 (7%), lymphocyte rich for 2/301 (1%), and 11/301 were unclassified. EBV positivity by in situ hybridization was observed for 68/301 (23%) patients, significantly associated with mixed cellularity subtype and male sex, particularly overrepresented in boys below 10 years: 15/23 (65%) versus 28/139 among other male patients (20%). EBV viral load was detectable in 22 of 108 (22%) tested cases and was overrepresented in EBV cHL (13/28) versus non-EBV cHL (9/80) patients. Detailed semiquantitative histologic analysis showed a high number of B-cell residual follicles in EBV cHL relative to EBV-negative HL.Distribution of EBV cHL in children and adolescents is associated with young age and male sex, suggesting a specific physiopathology and may require a differential therapeutic approach.

Introduction Pediatric-onset Evans syndrome (pES) is defined by the association between immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) and autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) before the age of 18 years and may be associated to various immunopathological manifestations (IMs). No comprehensive study of this rare disease exists, and its long-term outcomes are poorly described. Methods Patients from the nationwide French prospective OBS'CEREVANCE cohort with pES and more than 5 years of follow-up were included (excepted pES secondary to bone marrow transplantation or primary immunodeficiencies known at the inclusion). All patients, including those with less than 5 years of follow-up, were included in survival analyses. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards model was used to analyze factors associated with time-dependent variables. Results Of the 216 patients with pES in the cohort, 151 (88 males and 63 females) were included with a median (min-max) follow-up time after first cytopenia diagnosis of 11.3 (5.1-38) years. Median age at final follow-up was 18.5 (6.8-50.0) years. The proportion of patients achieving a sustained complete response (i.e. persisting until final follow-up) increased after cytopenia onset (Fig. 1A). ITP and AIHA were in complete remission in 40.5% and 54.5%, 74.1% and 62.3%, and 78.4% and 86% of patients at 5, 10, and 15 years, respectively. Clinical IMs (cIMs) developed in 100/151 patients (66%), before the first diagnosis of cytopenia in 21/100 cases. The number of cIMs increased over time (Fig. 1B). The proportions of patients with one and more than one cIM were 50% and 14%, 57% and 19%, and 81% and 44% at 5, 10, and 15 years after the first cytopenia diagnosis, respectively. A broad spectrum of cIMs were present, lymphoproliferation (n = 71), dermatological (n = 26), gastrointestinal/hepatic (n = 23), and pneumological manifestations (n = 16) being the most common. Three patients had a hematological malignancy. Biological IMs (bIMs) were diagnosed in 101/151 patients (67%) and also increased over time, with hypogammaglobulinemia (n = 54) being the most common. Autoimmune neutropenia developed in 43 patients (28.5%) and was independently associated with the number of cIMs (hazard ratio [HR], 2.4; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.5-3.8; p = 0.0002). Severe or recurrent infections were present in 53 patients (35%). The number of second-line treatments received (i.e. other than steroids and immunoglobulins) increased over time without reaching a plateau (Fig. 1C). Half of the patients had received at least one, two, and three different treatments at 2.7, 10.5, and 14.7 years after the first cytopenia diagnosis, respectively. The number of cIMs was independently associated with the number of second-line treatments received (HR, 1.3; 95% CI, 1.08-1.6; p = 0.006). Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) was diagnosed in 11/151 patients (7.3%, 1/88 males and 10/63 females) and autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS) in six (4.0%). Sixteen of the 151 patients followed for more than 5 years (10.6%) died, and seven died before the fifth year of follow-up (23 deaths in total). Survival at 5, 10, and 15 years after the first cytopenia was 97%, 92%, and 84%, respectively (Fig. 1D). Deaths occurred regularly throughout the follow-up period, at a median age of 18.0 (1.7-31.5) years. The most frequent cause of death was infections (n = 12, 52%). Four patients (18%) died of hemorrhage, all were less than 13 years old. The numbers of second-line treatments (HR, 1.3; 95% CI, 1.1-1.6; p = 0.004) and severe or recurrent infections (HR, 3.4; 95% CI, 1.2-9.7; p = 0.02) were independently associated with mortality after 5 years of follow-up. Overall, 20-year-old compared to 10-year-old patients more frequently showed a sustained complete response for AIHA (72% vs. 30%) and ITP (50% vs. 26%), but more frequently had cIMs (74% vs. 37%), bIMs (75% vs. 39%), and ongoing second-line treatments (88% vs. 47%; p < 0.001 for all comparisons). Conclusions Long-term outcomes of pES were associated to IMs and second-line treatment burden, not active cytopenia. The significant mortality rates, mostly among adolescents and young adults, were linked to drug-induced and/or constitutive immunodeficiencies. Few cases were associated with SLE or ALPS, which is consistent with a heterogeneous genetic background. These results highlight the importance of multidisciplinary care during the transition from childhood to adulthood. Figure 1 Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Tanasi et al present a prospective strategy for identifying patients with Philadelphia-like acute lymphoblastic leukemia, demonstrating the efficacy of early introduction of tyrosine kinase inhibitors in improving outcomes.

BACKGROUND: In the EuroNet Pediatric Hodgkin Lymphoma (EuroNet-PHL) trials, decision on Waldeyer's ring (WR) involvement is usually based on clinical assessment, that is, physical examination and/or nasopharyngoscopy. However, clinical assessment only evaluates mucosal surface and is prone to interobserver variability. Modern cross-sectional imaging technology may provide valuable information beyond mucosal surface, which may lead to a more accurate WR staging. PATIENTS, MATERIALS, AND METHODS: The EuroNet-PHL-C1 trial recruited 2102 patients, of which 1752 underwent central review including reference reading of their cross-sectional imaging data. In 14 of 1752 patients, WR was considered involved according to clinical assessment. In these 14 patients, the WR was re-assessed by applying an imaging-based algorithm considering information from 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography, contrast-enhanced computed tomography, and/or magnetic resonance imaging. For verification purposes, the imaging-based algorithm was applied to 100 consecutive patients whose WR was inconspicuous on clinical assessment. RESULTS: The imaging-based algorithm confirmed WR involvement only in four of the 14 patients. Of the remaining 10 patients, four had retropharyngeal lymph node involvement and six an inconspicuous WR. Applying the imaging-based algorithm to 100 consecutive patients with physiological appearance of their WR on clinical assessment, absence of WR involvement could be confirmed in 99. However, suspicion of WR involvement was raised in one patient. CONCLUSIONS: The imaging-based algorithm was feasible and easily applicable at initial staging of young patients with Hodgkin lymphoma. It increased the accuracy of WR staging, which may contribute to a more individualized treatment in the future. ispartof: PEDIATRIC BLOOD & CANCER vol:68 issue:4 ispartof: location:United States status: published

Background: Children and adolescents with intermediate-stage and advanced-stage classical Hodgkin lymphoma achieve an event-free survival at 5 years of about 90% after treatment with vincristine, etoposide, prednisone, and doxorubicin (OEPA) followed by cyclophosphamide, vincristine, prednisone, and procarbazine (COPP) and radiotherapy, but long-term treatment effects affect survival and quality of life. We aimed to investigate whether radiotherapy can be omitted in patients with morphological and metabolic adequate response to OEPA and whether modified consolidation chemotherapy reduces gonadotoxicity. Methods: Our study was designed as a titration study with an open-label, embedded, multinational, non-inferiority, randomised controlled trial, and was carried out at 186 hospital sites across 16 European countries. Children and adolescents with newly diagnosed intermediate-stage (treatment group 2) and advanced-stage (treatment group 3) classical Hodgkin lymphoma who were younger than 18 years and stratified according to risk using Ann Arbor disease stages IIAE, IIB, IIBE, IIIA, IIIAE, IIIB, IIIBE, and all stages IV (A, B, AE, and BE) were included in the study. Patients with early disease (treatment group 1) were excluded from this analysis. All patients were treated with two cycles of OEPA (1·5 mg/m2 vincristine taken intravenously capped at 2 mg, on days 1, 8, and 15; 125 mg/m2 etoposide taken intravenously on days 1–5; 60 mg/m2 prednisone taken orally on days 1–15; and 40 mg/m2 doxorubicin taken intravenously on days 1 and 15). Patients were randomly assigned to two (treatment group 2) or four (treatment group 3) cycles of COPP (500 mg/m2 cyclophosphamide taken intravenously on days 1 and 8; 1·5 mg/m2 vincristine taken intravenously capped at 2 mg, on days 1 and 8; 40 mg/m2 prednisone taken orally on days 1 to 15; and 100 mg/m2 procarbazine taken orally on days 1 to 15) or COPDAC, which was identical to COPP except that 250 mg/m2 dacarbazine administered intravenously on days 1 to 3 replaced procarbazine. The method of randomisation (1:1) was minimisation with stochastic component and was centrally stratified by treatment group, country, trial sites, and sex. The primary endpoint was event-free survival, defined as time from treatment start until the first of the following events: death from any cause, progression or relapse of classical Hodgkin lymphoma, or occurrence of secondary malignancy. The primary objectives were maintaining 90% event-free survival at 5 years in patients with adequate response to OEPA treated without radiotherapy and to exclude a decrease of 8% in event-free survival at 5 years in the embedded COPDAC versus COPP randomisation to show non-inferiority of COPDAC. Efficacy analyses are reported per protocol and safety in the intention-to-treat population. The trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (trial number NCT00433459) and EUDRACT (trial number 2006-000995-33), and is closed to recruitment. Findings: Between Jan 31, 2007, and Jan 30, 2013, 2102 patients were recruited. 737 (35%) of the 2102 recruited patients were in treatment group 1 (early-stage disease) and were not included in our analysis. 1365 (65%) of the 2102 patients were in treatment group 2 (intermediate-stage disease; n=455) and treatment group 3 (advanced-stage disease; n=910). Of these 1365, 1287 (94%) patients (435 [34%] of 1287 in treatment group 2 and 852 [66%] of 1287 in treatment group 3) were included in the titration trial per-protocol analysis. 937 (69%) of 1365 patients were randomly assigned to COPP (n=471) or COPDAC (n=466) in the embedded trial. Median follow-up was 66·5 months (IQR 62·7–71·7). Of 1287 patients in the per-protocol group, 514 (40%) had an adequate response to treatment and were not treated with radiotherapy (215 [49%] of 435 in treatment group 2 and 299 [35%] of 852 in treatment group 3). 773 (60%) of 1287 patients with inadequate response were scheduled for radiotherapy (220 [51%] of 435 in the treatment group 2 and 553 [65%] of 852 in treatment group 3. In patients who responded adequately, event-free survival rates at 5 years were 90·1% (95% CI 87·5–92·7). event-free survival rates at 5 years in 892 patients who were randomly assigned to treatment and analysed per protocol were 89·9% (95% CI 87·1–92·8) for COPP (n=444) versus 86·1% (82·9–89·4) for COPDAC (n=448). The COPDAC minus COPP difference in event-free survival at 5 years was −3·7% (−8·0 to 0·6). The most common grade 3–4 adverse events (intention-to-treat population) were decreased haemoglobin (205 [15%] of 1365 patients during OEPA vs 37 [7%] of 528 treated with COPP vs 20 [2%] of 819 treated with COPDAC), decreased white blood cells (815 [60%] vs 231 [44%] vs 84 [10%]), and decreased neutrophils (1160 [85%] vs 223 [42%] vs 174 [21%]). One patient in treatment group 2 died of sepsis after the first cycle of OEPA; no other treatment-related deaths occurred. Interpretation: Our results show that radiotherapy can be omitted in patients who adequately respond to treatment, when consolidated with COPP or COPDAC. COPDAC might be less effective, but is substantially less gonadotoxic than COPP. A high proportion of patients could therefore be spared radiotherapy, eventually reducing the late effects of treatment. With more refined criteria for response assessment, the number of patients who receive radiotherapy will be further decreased. Funding: Deutsche Krebshilfe, Elternverein für Krebs-und leukämiekranke Kinder Gießen, Kinderkrebsstiftung Mainz, Tour der Hoffnung, Menschen für Kinder, Programme Hospitalier de Recherche Clinique, and Cancer Research UK.

Anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) is a T-cell malignancy predominantly driven by a hyperactive anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) fusion protein. ALK inhibitors, such as crizotinib, provide alternatives to standard chemotherapy with reduced toxicity and side effects. Children with lymphomas driven by nucleophosmin 1 (NPM1)-ALK fusion proteins achieved an objective response rate to ALK inhibition therapy of 54% to 90% in clinical trials; however, a subset of patients progressed within the first 3 months of treatment. The mechanism for the development of ALK inhibitor resistance is unknown. Through genome-wide clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) activation and knockout screens in ALCL cell lines, combined with RNA sequencing data derived from ALK inhibitor–relapsed patient tumors, we show that resistance to ALK inhibition by crizotinib in ALCL can be driven by aberrant upregulation of interleukin 10 receptor subunit alpha (IL10RA). Elevated IL10RA expression rewires the STAT3 signaling pathway, bypassing otherwise critical phosphorylation by NPM1-ALK. IL-10RA expression does not correlate with response to standard chemotherapy in pediatric patients, suggesting that a combination of crizotinib and chemotherapy could prevent ALK inhibitor resistance–specific relapse.

Background Optimal Phase‐II design to evaluate new therapies in refractory/relapsed Ewing sarcomas (ES) remains imperfectly defined. Objectives Recurrent/refractory ES phase‐I/II trials analysis to improve trials design. Methods Comprehensive review of therapeutic trials registered on five databases (who.int/trialsearch, clinicaltrials.gov, clinicaltrialsregister.eu, e‐cancer.fr, and umin.ac.jp) and/or published in PubMed/ASCO/ESMO websites, between 2005 and 2018, using the criterion: (Ewing sarcoma OR bone sarcoma OR sarcoma) AND (Phase‐I or Phase‐II). Results The 146 trials identified (77 phase‐I/II, 67 phase‐II, and 2 phase‐II/III) tested targeted (34%), chemo‐ (23%), immune therapies (19%), or combined therapies (24%). Twenty‐three trials were ES specific and 48 had a specific ES stratum. Usually multicentric (88%), few trials were international (30%). Inclusion criteria cover the recurrent ES age range for only 12% of trials and allowed only accrual of measurable diseases (RECIST criteria). Single‐arm design was the most frequent (88%) testing mainly single drugs (61%), only 5% were randomized. Primary efficacy outcome was response rate (RR=CR+PR; Complete+Partial response) (n = 116/146; 79%), rarely progression‐free or overall survival (16% PFS and 3% OS). H0 and H1 hypotheses were variable (3%–25% and 20%–50%, respectively). The 62 published trials enrolled 827 ES patients. RR was poor (10%; 15 CR=1.7%, 68 PR=8.3%). Stable disease was the best response for 186 patients (25%). Median PFS/OS was of 1.9 (range 1.3–14.7) and 7.6 months (5–30), respectively. Eleven (18%) published trials were considered positive, with median RR/PFS/OS of 15% (7%–30%), 4.5 (1.3–10), and 16.6 months (6.9–30), respectively. Conclusion This review supports the need to develop the international randomized phase‐II trials across all age ranges with PFS as primary endpoint., Hundred and forty‐six phase‐II trials and 62 articles from 2005 to 2018 were analysed. Mostly multicentric, few trials were international (30%), only 5% were randomized. Results of 62 published trials enrolling 827 ES patients were disappointing. Combining chemotherapy with another agent is a promising strategy. International randomized trans‐age with PFS as primary endpoint could be promoted.

Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is the most common cancer in adolescence and represents 15% of all cases of cancer in children and adolescents. In three decades, HL has become a highly curable lymphoid malignancy with an expected survival rate at ten years of around 90–93%. Further refinements of treatment strategy are needed in order to improve treatment results in relapsed and refractory patients and to reduce long-term morbidity of therapy, mainly secondary malignancies, cardiovascular early morbidity, and impaired fertility. Progress in imaging definition of involvement based on fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET)/computed tomography (CT) and response-adapted strategy based on FDG-PET/CT intermediate evaluation has led to a reduction of radiotherapy. Procarbazine-free chemotherapy regimens with moderate anthracyclin dose will further reduce the risk of treatment’s sequelae. Recent advances in the understanding of the biology of HL have demonstrated, with promising results, the link between immune system control and Hodgkin lymphoma pathogenesis, opening the road to new treatments in relapsed and refractory patients based on targeted monoclonal antibodies.

// Gabrielle Lui 1, 2 , Naim Bouazza 1, 2, 3 , Francoise Denoyelle 4 , Marion Moine 1 , Laurence Brugieres 5 , Pascal Chastagner 6 , Nadege Corradini 7 , Natacha Entz-Werle 8 , Cecile Verite 9 , Judith Landmanparker 10 , Helene Sudour-Bonnange 11 , Marlene Pasquet 12 , Arnauld Verschuur 13 , Cecile Faure-Conter 14 , Francois Doz 15, 16, * , Jean-Marc Treluyer 1, 2, 3, 17, * and On behalf of the SFCE (Societe Francaise des Cancers de l’Enfant et l’Adolescent) 1 University of Paris Descartes, EA 7323, Sorbonne Paris-Cite, France 2 CIC-1419 Inserm, Cochin-Necker, Paris, France 3 Clinical Research Unit of Paris Descartes Necker Cochin, AP-HP, Paris, France 4 Department of Pediatric Otolaryngology, Necker Children’s Hospital, Paris, France 5 Department of Children and Adolescents Oncology, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France 6 Department of Pediatric Onco-Hematology, Children’s Hospital, Vandoeuvre Les Nancy, France 7 Pediatric Oncology Department, Mother-Children Hospital, Nantes, France 8 Pediatric Onco-Hematology Unit, CHU of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France 9 Pediatric Hematology Department, Bordeaux University Hospital, Bordeaux, France 10 Sorbonne University, Department of Pediatric Hematology Oncology, APHP, Trousseau Hospital, Paris, France 11 Pediatric Oncology Unit, Children, Adolescents and Young Adults Unit, Oscar Lambret Center, Lille, France 12 Children’s Hospital, University Hospital of Toulouse, Toulouse, France 13 Pediatric Oncology Department, La Timone Children’s Hospital, Marseilles, France 14 Institute of Pediatric Hemato-Oncology, Lyon, France 15 Oncology Center SIREDO, Care, Innovation and Research for Children, Adolescents and Young Adults with Cancer, Curie Institute, Paris, France 16 Paris Descartes University, Paris, France 17 Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Cochin Hospital AP-HP, Paris, France * These authors have contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Gabrielle Lui, email: gabrielle.lui@aphp.fr Keywords: platinum; pharmacogenetics; ototoxicity; children; cancer Received: March 26, 2018 Accepted: June 25, 2018 Published: July 20, 2018 ABSTRACT Platinum is extensively used in the treatment of several childhood cancers. However, ototoxicity is one of the most notable adverse effects, especially in children. Several studies suggest that genetics may predict its occurrence. Here, polymorphisms associated with platinum-induced ototoxicity were selected from the literature and were investigated in a pediatric population treated with platinum-based agents. In this retrospective study, patients treated with cisplatin and/or carboplatin were screened. The patients with pre- and post-treatment audiogram (Brock criteria) available were included. We selected polymorphisms that have previously been associated with cisplatin ototoxicity with a minor allele frequency ≥30%. Deletion of GSTM1 and GSTT1 , rs1799735 ( GSTM3 ), rs1695 ( GSTP1 ), rs4880 ( SOD2 ), rs2228001 ( XPC ), rs1799793 ( XPD ) and rs4788863 ( SLC16A5 ) were investigated. Data of one hundred and six children matching the eligible criteria were analyzed. Thirty-three patients (31%) developed ototoxicity (with a Brock grade ≥2). The probability of hearing loss increased significantly in patients carrying the null genotype for GSTT1 (P = 0.03), A/A genotype at rs1695 (P = 0.01), and C/C genotype at rs1799793 (P = 0.008). We also showed an association of the cumulative doses of carboplatin with cisplatin ototoxicity (P

Introduction Les tumeurs osseuses vertebrales sont rares chez l’enfant et le jeune adulte et representent un challenge diagnostique. Les patients presentent le plus souvent des douleurs avec des signes neurologiques dans 50 % des cas. La presentation clinique et l’etiologie varient selon l’âge et la localisation vertebrale. Objectifs Rapporter deux observations d’une entite recente de diagnostic difficile. Methodes Nous rapportons les donnees cliniques, radiologiques, anatomopathologiques, genomiques et evolutives de 2 cas d’une tumeur vertebrale inhabituelle. Resultats Une fille de 9 ans et un garcon de 8 ans ont presente des douleurs lombaires sans signes neurologiques. L’imagerie a montre une lesion lytique de L2 avec « vertebra plana » et extension dans les tissus mous adjacents. Une biopsie percutanee a ete realisee dans les deux cas et a montre un sarcome indifferencie a cellules rondes et fusiformes a noyaux monomorphes, a chromatine fine, sans nucleole, de phenotype pauvre, exprimant faiblement le CD99, le CD117 et le Bcl2. Il n’existait pas de remaniements EWSR1 en FISH. L’analyse en RNAseq a mis en evidence une fusion BCOR-CCNB3 dans les deux cas. Discussion La localisation vertebrale, en particulier au sacrum et aux vertebres lombaires d’un sarcome d’Ewing est classique a l’âge pediatrique et represente 3,5 a 10 % des localisations. Le sarcome indifferencie avec fusion BCOR-CCNB3 a ete identifie en 2012. Initialement classe dans la famille des sarcomes d’Ewing, il est aujourd’hui classe dans le groupe des tumeurs avec remaniements BCOR (« BCORomes »), comprenant la duplication interne en tandem de BCOR (ITD) et des fusions autres comme BCOR-MAML3. L’anomalie genetique BCORCCNB3 consiste en une inversion paracentrique du chromosome X avec fusion de deux genes proches BCOR et CCNB3 induisant une surexpression de la cycline B3 et de BCOR. Il est plus frequent chez l’enfant a un âge median de 15 ans avec une predominance masculine. Cette tumeur atteint les os (bassin, os longs) alors que les autres tumeurs du groupe BCOR atteignent les tissus mous. L’aspect histologique montre une tumeur a cellules rondes et fusiformes de cellularite variable avec des noyaux monomorphes a chromatine fine sans nucleole, sans architecture particuliere avec souvent un riche reseau capillaire pouvant mimer un sarcome synovial peu differencie ou une tumeur maligne des gaines nerveuses. Sur le plan immunohistochimique, elle exprime BCOR et la cycline B3. L’analyse moleculaire est primordiale pour identifier la fusion. Conclusion Le sarcome indifferencie BCOR-CCNB3 devrait etre evoque devant une tumeur a cellules rondes et fusiformes pediatrique de localisation vertebrale ne repondant pas aux criteres diagnostiques d’une tumeur d’Ewing. La realisation des immunomarquages BCOR et cycline B3 et le sequencage sont indispensables pour confirmer le diagnostic et debuter le traitement actuellement selon le meme schema therapeutique multimodal que le sarcome d’Ewing.

// Sandrine Poglio 1, 2, 3, 4 , Daniel Lewandowski 2, 3, 4, 5 , Julien Calvo 1, 2, 3, 4 , Aurelie Caye 6, 7 , Audrey Gros 8, 9 , Elodie Laharanne 8, 9 , Thierry Leblanc 10 , Judith Landman-Parker 11 , Andre Baruchel 10 , Jean Soulier 6, 12, 13 , Paola Ballerini 1, 2, 3, 4, 11 , Emmanuelle Clappier 6, 12, 13 , Francoise Pflumio 1, 2, 3, 4 1 Commissariat a l’Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives (CEA), DSV-IRCM-SCSR-LSHL, UMR 967, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France 2 INSERM, U967, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France 3 Universite Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cite, UMR 967, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France 4 Universite Paris-Sud, UMR 967, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France 5 CEA, DSV-IRCM-SCSR-LRTS, UMR 967, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France 6 Universite Paris Diderot, Paris, France 7 Assistance Publique-Hopitaux de Paris (AP-HP), Departement de Genetique, UF de Genetique Moleculaire, Hopital Robert Debre Paris, France 8 INSERM, UMR1053 Bordeaux Research in Translational Oncology (BaRITOn), Bordeaux, France 9 Universite de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France 10 AP-HP, Service d’hematologie Pediatrique, Hopital Robert Debre, Paris, France 11 AP-HP, Service d’hematologie Pediatrique, Hopital Armand Trousseau, Paris, France 12 AP-HP, Laboratoire d’Hematologie, Hopital Saint-Louis, Paris, France 13 Team Genome and Cancer, U944 INSERM, Paris, France Correspondence to: Francoise Pflumio, email: francoise.pflumio@cea.fr Sandrine Poglio, email: sandrine.poglio@u-bordeaux.fr Keywords: T-ALL, leukemia initiating cells, clonal selection, CD34, xenograft Received: June 29, 2015 Accepted: April 22, 2016 Published: May 12, 2016 ABSTRACT T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) develops through accumulation of multiple genomic alterations within T-cell progenitors resulting in clonal heterogeneity among leukemic cells. Human T-ALL xeno-transplantation in immunodeficient mice is a gold standard approach to study leukemia biology and we recently uncovered that the leukemia development is more or less rapid depending on T-ALL sample. The resulting human leukemia may arise through genetic selection and we previously showed that human T-ALL development in immune-deficient mice is significantly enhanced upon CD7 + /CD34 + leukemic cell transplantations. Here we investigated the genetic characteristics of CD7 + /CD34 + and CD7 + /CD34 − cells from newly diagnosed human T-ALL and correlated it to the speed of leukemia development. We observed that CD7 + /CD34 + or CD7 + /CD34 − T-ALL cells that promote leukemia within a short-time period are genetically similar, as well as xenograft-derived leukemia resulting from both cell fractions. In the case of delayed T-ALL growth CD7 + /CD34 + or CD7 + /CD34 − cells were either genetically diverse, the resulting xenograft leukemia arising from different but branched subclones present in the original sample, or similar, indicating decreased fitness to mouse micro-environment. Altogether, our work provides new information relating the speed of leukemia development in xenografts to the genetic diversity of T-ALL cell compartments.

Resume Objectifs Evaluer l’impact pronostique du tableau clinique chez les enfants atteints de periarterite noueuse (PAN). Methodes Les enfants ayant un diagnostic de PAN entre 1986 et 2006 dans un centre de soins tertiaires de rhumatologie pediatrique ont ete inclus. Ils ont ete classes comme « PAN cutanee » (groupe 1), « PAN cutanee avec signes extra-cutanes importants » (groupe 2) ou « PAN infantile viscerale » (groupe 3). Les criteres de jugement etaient : (1) remission clinique sans traitement en fin de suivi, (2) necessite et duree du traitement corticoide, (3) presence de sequelles liees a la maladie. Resultats Vingt-neuf enfants ont ete inclus. Seize remplissaient les criteres de classification de PAN d’Ankara. Neuf patients ont ete classes dans le groupe 1, 11 dans le groupe 2 et 9 dans le groupe 3. En fin de suivi, 15 enfants etaient en remission clinique sans traitement : 4 dans le groupe 1 (44 %), 4 dans le groupe 2 (36 %) et 7 dans le groupe 3 (78 %). Une corticotherapie a ete requise pour 8 (89 %), 7 (64 %) et 7 (78 %) patients des groupes 1, 2 et 3, respectivement. Sept enfants n’avaient pas eu besoin de corticotherapie. La probabilite de remission clinique sans corticoides, en fonction du temps, etait identique dans les trois groupes. Trois patients (un de chaque groupe) avaient eu une ischemie digitale conduisant a l’amputation. Il n’y avait aucune difference significative entre les groupes concernant les trois criteres de jugement. Conclusion Le devenir a long terme n’etait pas etroitement lie a la presentation initiale chez les enfants atteints de PAN. La distinction entre PAN cutanee et viscerale basee sur l’atteinte viscerale avait peu de valeur pronostique dans cette serie.

International audience; PURPOSE: Immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) and autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) are associated in the definition of Evans syndrome (ES). The occurrence of neurological involvement in this population is poorly described and suggests an underlying primary immunodeficiency (PID). We aimed to describe the clinical manifestations, evolution, and PID profiles of these patients.METHODS: OBS'CEREVANCE is a French, nationwide prospective cohort that includes children with chronic ITP, AIHA, and ES. Patients with a neurological involvement were described. Centralized radiological and pathological reviews and genetic analyses were performed.RESULTS: On October 2016, eight patients (7/181 ES, 1/371 AIHA, and 0/615 ITP) were identified, all male, with a median age (range) at cytopenia onset of 11.5 years (1.6-15.8). Neurological symptoms appeared with a median delay of 6 years (2.5-18) after cytopenia and were polymorphic: seizures (n = 4), cranial nerve palsy (n = 2), Brown-Sequard syndrome (n = 2), intracranial pressure (n = 2), vertigo (n = 1), and/or sensory neuropathy (n = 1). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed inflammatory lesions, confirmed by pathology for five patients with macrophagic or lymphoplasmocytic infiltrates. All patients had other relevant immunopathological manifestations: pulmonary nodules (n = 6), lymphoproliferation (n = 4), abnormal immunophenotype (n = 8), and hypogammaglobulinemia (n = 7). Treatment consisted of steroids that improved symptomatology and MRI. Five patients relapsed and three had an asymptomatic radiological progression. A PID was identified in 3/8 patients: 22q11.2 microdeletion (n = 1) and CTLA deficiency (n = 2).CONCLUSION: Neurological involvement is a rare and severe late event in the course of childhood ES, which can reveal an underlying PID. Imaging and pathology examination highlight a causative immune dysregulation that may guide targeted therapeutic strategies.

Introduction In order to describe relapsed B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma and mature acute leukemia in children/adolescents treated with the Lymphomes Malins B (LMB) regimen and their outcome in the rituximab era, relapses in the French LMB2001 study were reviewed. Methods Between February 2001 and December 2011, 33 patients out of 773 (4.3%) relapsed; 27 had Burkitt lymphoma and six large B-cell histology. Median age at diagnosis was 10.1 years. One patient was initially treated in risk group A, 21 in group B, and 11 in group C. Results Median time to relapse after diagnosis was 4.5 months (range 2.4-13.6). Thirty-two patients received salvage therapy. Twenty-seven received rituximab mainly in addition to high-dose cytarabine and etoposide (n = 18) and/or ifosfamide, carboplatin, and etoposide (n = 7). First-line salvage chemotherapy response rate was 66% with 47% being complete remission (CR). Twenty-one patients received high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) followed by autologous (n = 13) or allogeneic (n = 8) transplant. With a median follow-up of 6.8 years, the 5-year survival rate after relapse was 36.4% (95% confidence interval [CI] 22-53%). Twelve patients were still alive; all but one (group A) received consolidation treatment. Achieving CR before consolidation was significantly associated with better survival, with a 5-year survival rate of 75% (95% CI 46.8-91.1%) for patients in CR before HDC, 33% (95% CI 9.7-70%) for patients in partial remission, and 0% for nonresponders (P = .033). Conclusion Survival of children/adolescents with mature B-cell lymphoma/leukemia remains poor after relapse with no apparent improvement with rituximab. Response rates to salvage chemo-immunotherapies are insufficient and new drugs are urgently needed to improve disease control.

Background Microphthalmia Transcription Factor (MITF)family translocation renal cell carcinoma (tRCC) is a rare RCC subtype harboring TFE3/TFEB translocations. The prognosis in the metastatic (m) setting is poor. Programmed death ligand-1 expression was reported in 90% of cases, prompting us to analyze the benefit of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) in this population. Patients and methods This multicenter retrospective study identified patients with MITF family mtRCC who had received an ICI in any of 12 referral centers in France or the USA. Response rate according to RECIST criteria, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) were analyzed. Genomic alterations associated with response were determined for 8 patients. Results Overall, 24 patients with metastatic disease who received an ICI as second or later line of treatment were identified. Nineteen (82.6%) of these patients had received a VEGFR inhibitor as first-line treatment, with a median PFS of 3 months (range, 1–22 months). The median PFS for patients during first ICI treatment was 2.5 months (range, 1–40 months); 4 patients experienced partial response (16,7%) and 3 (12,5%) had stable disease. Of the patients whose genomic alterations were analyzed, two patients with mutations in bromodomain-containing genes (PBRM1 and BRD8) had a clinical benefit. Resistant clones in a patient with exceptional response to ipilimumab showed loss of BRD8 mutations and increased mutational load driven by parallel evolution affecting 17 genes (median mutations per gene, 3), which were enriched mainly for O-glycan processing (29.4%, FDR = 9.7 × 10− 6). Conclusions MITF family tRCC is an aggressive disease with similar responses to ICIs as clear-cell RCC. Mutations in bromodomain-containing genes might be associated with clinical benefit. The unexpected observation about parallel evolution of genes involved in O-glycosylation as a mechanism of resistance to ICI warrants exploration.

Summary Background Despite remarkable progress in the treatment of newly-diagnosed classical Hodgkin's lymphoma and systemic anaplastic large-cell lymphoma, treatment of relapsed or refractory disease remains challenging. The aims of this study were to assess the safety, tolerability, recommended phase 2 dose, and efficacy of brentuximab vedotin in paediatric patients with relapsed or refractory Hodgkin's lymphoma or systemic anaplastic large-cell lymphoma. Methods This open-label, dose-escalation phase 1/2 study was done at 12 centres across eight countries (France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, The Netherlands, Spain, UK, and USA). We recruited paediatric patients aged 7–18 years with relapsed or refractory classical Hodgkin's lymphoma or systemic anaplastic large-cell lymphoma, for whom standard treatment was unavailable or no longer effective. Participants were allocated to receive brentuximab vedotin at 1·4 mg/kg (phase 1) or 1·8 mg/kg (phases 1 and 2) via intravenous infusion once every 3 weeks for up to 16 cycles. Dose escalation was done via a 3+3 design. Key exclusion criteria were stem-cell transplantation less than 3 months before administration of the first dose of study drug, presence of cytomegalovirus infection after allogeneic stem-cell transplantation, previous treatment with an anti-CD30 antibody, and concurrent immunosuppressive or systemic therapy for chronic graft-versus-host disease. Primary outcomes were safety profile in the safety-evaluable population and maximum tolerated dose, recommended phase 2 dose, pharmacokinetics (phase 1), and proportion of patients who achieved best overall response (phase 2; evaluated by an independent review facility) in the response-evaluable population. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov , number NCT01492088 . Findings Between April 16, 2012, and April 4, 2016, we screened 41 paediatric patients and enrolled 36 (aged 7–18 years), of whom 19 had relapsed or refractory classical Hodgkin's lymphoma and 17 had relapsed or refractory systemic anaplastic large-cell lymphoma. At the data cutoff (Oct 12, 2016), all 36 patients had discontinued study drug treatment; the most common reason was progressive disease (15 patients). The maximum tolerated dose was not reached. The recommended phase 2 dose was 1·8 mg/kg. The proportion of patients who achieved overall response was 47% (95% CI 21–73) for classical Hodgkin's lymphoma and 53% (28–77) for systemic anaplastic large-cell lymphoma. All 36 patients had a treatment-emergent adverse event and 16 patients (44%) had at least one grade 3 or worse treatment-emergent adverse event. The most common treatment-emergent adverse events were pyrexia (16 [44%] of 36) and nausea (13 [36%]). The most common grade 3 or worse treatment-emergent adverse events were neutropenia (four [11%]), increased γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (two [6%]), and pyrexia (two [6%]). 12 (33%) patients had transient, limited-severity peripheral neuropathy. Eight patients (22%) had a serious adverse event; three (8%) had a drug-related serious adverse event. One patient died of cardiac arrest (disease progression of a large huge mediastinal mass, unrelated to the study drug). Paediatric pharmacokinetic profiles were consistent with those from studies of adult patients. Interpretation Brentuximab vedotin has manageable toxicity and is associated with clinically meaningful responses in paediatric patients with relapsed or refractory Hodgkin's lymphoma or systemic anaplastic large-cell lymphoma, and could allow subsequent stem-cell transplantation in some patients who were initially ineligible for stem-cell transplantation. Funding Millennium Pharmaceuticals Inc.

To determine whether the current 18F-FDG PET response criterion for skeletal involvement in Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is suitable, we performed a systematic evaluation of the different types of skeletal involvement and their response on PET after 2 cycles of chemotherapy (PET-2). A secondary objective was to observe the influence of the initial uptake intensity (measured as qPET) and initial metabolic tumor volume (MTV) of skeletal lesions on the PET-2 response. Methods: The initial PET scans of 1,068 pediatric HL patients from the EuroNet- PHL-C1 trial were evaluated for skeletal involvement by central review. Three types of skeletal lesions were distinguished: PET-only lesions (those detected on PET only), bone marrow (BM) lesions (as confirmed by MRI or BM biopsy), and bone lesions. qPET and MTV were calculated for each skeletal lesion. All PET-2 scans were assessed for residual tumor activity. The rates of complete metabolic response for skeletal and nodal involvement on PET-2 were compared. Results: Of the 1,068 patients, 139 (13%) showed skeletal involvement (44 PET-only, 32 BM, and 63 bone). Of the 139 patients with skeletal involvement, 101 (73%) became PET-2–negative in the skeleton and 94 (68%) became PET-2–negative in the lymph nodes. The highest number of PET-2–negative scans in the skeleton was 42 (95%) in the 44 PET-only patients, followed by 22 skeletal lesions (69%) in the 32 BM patients and 37 (59%) in the 63 bone patients. Lesions that became PET-2–negative showed a lower initial median qPET (2.74) and MTV (2 cm3) than lesions that remained PET-2– positive (3.84 and 7 cm3, respectively). Conclusion: In this study with pediatric HL patients, the complete response rate for skeletal involvement on PET-2 was similar to that for nodal involvement. Bone flare seemed to be irrelevant. Overall, the current skeletal PET response criterion—comparison with the local skeletal background—is well suited. The initial qPET and MTV of skeletal lesions were predictive of the PET-2 result. Higher values for both parameters were associated with a worse PET-2 response.

Resume Introduction Les enfants et adolescents atteints de cancer sont pris en charge en France par des equipes pluri-professionnelles au sein de centres specialises d’onco-hematologie pediatrique, labellises par l’Institut national du cancer, qui travaillent en reseau avec des centres de pediatrie de proximite. Le diplome inter-universitaire d’oncologie pediatrique (DIUOP) propose une formation a l’onco-hematologie maligne pediatrique comprenant un enseignement theorique, un stage dans un service validant et un projet de recherche soutenu devant un jury. Methode Nous avons adresse un questionnaire aux diplomes pour connaitre leur situation professionnelle actuelle et avons recherche sur PubMed tous les articles publies. Resultats De 2000 a 2011, le DIUOP a forme 290 medecins specialistes : 242 pediatres, 21 chirurgiens et 19 radiotherapeutes, 8 ayant une autre specialite telle que l’imagerie, l’hematologie ou l’anatomo-pathologie. Quatre-vingt-douze etaient titulaires d’un diplome obtenu a l’etranger : en Europe (50 %), en Afrique et au Proche-Orient (42 %) et en Amerique du Sud (8 %). Cent quatre-vingt-dix-sept des 266 diplomes (74 %) ont repondu au questionnaire. Quatre-vingt-dix pour cent prenaient en charge des enfants et adolescents atteints de cancer. Pour ceux exercant en France, ils travaillaient principalement dans les etablissements impliques dans l’organisation des soins definie par la circulaire DHOS (Direction de l’hospitalisation et de l’organisation des soins) de 2004. Soixante-neuf articles, soit un memoire sur 4, avaient ete publies dans une revue avec un facteur d’impact median de 3,5 (0–22,6) dont 85 % en langue anglaise. Conclusion Le DIUOP est la seule formation europeenne en langue francaise offrant une formation professionnalisante, multidisciplinaire, de qualite et complete aux specialistes impliques dans la prise en charge des cancers de l’enfant et de l’adolescent.