Search

Informational support is an important pillar of psychosocial care for parents of children with cancer. Understanding the information needs of these parents may improve the provision of family-centered informational support. This paper aims to explore the information needs of Malaysian parents whose children have cancer.This qualitative study was conducted among 14 parents of children with cancer and 8 healthcare providers. The parents were recruited from two urban pediatric oncology centers in Malaysia. Healthcare providers were recruited from these centers, as well as from community-based palliative care providers. In-depth interviews were conducted based on semi-structured topic guides, audio-recorded, and transcribed for thematic analysis using elements of the grounded theory approach.Analysis revealed three themes of information needs, which were: "interaction with the healthcare system," "care for the child at home" and "psychosocial support for parents". Information needs on parents' interaction with the healthcare system consisted of disease and treatment-related information, as well as health system navigation. Information needs on care for the child at home were represented by their caregiving for basic activities of daily living, medical caregiving, and psychosocial caregiving. Psychosocial support for parents included information on practical support and self-care. There were differences in priorities for information needs between parents and healthcare providers.Meeting the information needs of parents is an important part of psychosocial care in pediatric cancer care. Informational support may empower parents in caregiving for their child. The development of suitable information resources will be invaluable for healthcare providers in supporting parents' needs.

Introduction Validated tools to measure caregiving knowledge among parents of children with hematological cancers are needed to measure the clinical outcome of caregiver interventions. This study reports the development and validation of the Hematological Oncology Parents Education Caregiving Knowledge Questionnaire (HOPE-CKQ) among Malaysian parents of pediatric leukemia and lymphoma patients. Methods Initially, 60 items on caregiving knowledge were developed based on a qualitative needs assessment study. Content validity was evaluated using item content validity index (I-CVI) and scale content validity index (S-CVI/Ave). Parents of pediatric leukemia and lymphoma patients were invited to complete the 60-item version of the HOPE-CKQ. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) using polychoric correlation resulted in an 18-item version of HOPE-CKQ. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to verify the factor structure. Known-group validity was tested by comparing the scores among different levels of parent education. Results The I-CVI ranged from 0.83 to 1.00 whereas the S-CVI/Ave was 0.99, indicating good content validity. A total of 167 complete responses were analyzed for factor analysis. EFA using polychoric correlations resulted in a single-factor structure consisting of 18 items. CFA confirmed that the 18-item single-factor HOPE-CKQ model had a good fit for the data. The internal consistency reliability was good (

Patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) are at higher risk of getting severe COVID-19 infection. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the role of serum ferritin in predicting ICU admission and mortality among patients with SCD following COVID-19 infection. A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, WHO COVID-19 database, ProQuest, and Cochrane Library for articles published between 1st December 2019 to 31st November 2021. Methodological quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal checklists. Eleven articles (7 cohorts and 4 case series) were included in this review. Pooled mean serum ferritin level on admission was 1581.62 ng/mL while pooled proportion of ICU admission and mortality were 0.10 (95% CI 0.06; 0.16, prediction interval 0.04; 0.23, p = 0.29, I2 = 17%) and 0.07 (95% CI 0.05; 0.11, prediction interval 0.04; 0.12, p = 0.68, I2 = 0%) respectively. Meta-regression showed that serum ferritin did not predict for both ICU admission (regression coefficient = 0.0001, p = 0.3523) and mortality (regression coefficient = 0.0001, p = 0.4029). Our analyses showed that serum ferritin may not be a useful marker to predict the outcomes of COVID-19 infection among patients with SCD. More data are required to identify a reliable tool to identify patients with SCD who are at risk of getting severe COVID-19 infection.Systematic Review Registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=287792, PROSPERO Registration: CRD42021287792.

ObjectivesPaediatric cancer is a leading cause of death for children. Children in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) were four times more likely to die than children in high-income countries (HICs). This study aimed to test the hypothesis that the COVID-19 pandemic had affected the delivery of healthcare services worldwide, and exacerbated the disparity in paediatric cancer outcomes between LMICs and HICs.DesignA multicentre, international, collaborative cohort study.Setting91 hospitals and cancer centres in 39 countries providing cancer treatment to paediatric patients between March and December 2020.ParticipantsPatients were included if they were under the age of 18 years, and newly diagnosed with or undergoing active cancer treatment for Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, Wilms’ tumour, sarcoma, retinoblastoma, gliomas, medulloblastomas or neuroblastomas, in keeping with the WHO Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer.Main outcome measureAll-cause mortality at 30 days and 90 days.Results1660 patients were recruited. 219 children had changes to their treatment due to the pandemic. Patients in LMICs were primarily affected (n=182/219, 83.1%). Relative to patients with paediatric cancer in HICs, patients with paediatric cancer in LMICs had 12.1 (95% CI 2.93 to 50.3) and 7.9 (95% CI 3.2 to 19.7) times the odds of death at 30 days and 90 days, respectively, after presentation during the COVID-19 pandemic (pConclusionsThe COVID-19 pandemic has affected paediatric oncology service provision. It has disproportionately affected patients in LMICs, highlighting and compounding existing disparities in healthcare systems globally that need addressing urgently. However, many patients with paediatric cancer continued to receive their normal standard of care. This speaks to the adaptability and resilience of healthcare systems and healthcare workers globally.

IntroductionChildhood cancer is a leading cause of death. It is unclear whether the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted childhood cancer mortality. In this study, we aimed to establish all-cause mortality rates for childhood cancers during the COVID-19 pandemic and determine the factors associated with mortality.MethodsProspective cohort study in 109 institutions in 41 countries. Inclusion criteria: children ResultsAll-cause mortality was 3.4% (n=71/2084) at 30-day follow-up, 5.7% (n=113/1969) at 90-day follow-up and 13.0% (n=206/1581) at 12-month follow-up. The median time from diagnosis to multidisciplinary team (MDT) plan was longest in low-income countries (7 days, IQR 3–11). Multivariable analysis revealed several factors associated with 12-month mortality, including low-income (OR 6.99 (95% CI 2.49 to 19.68); pConclusionsChildren with cancer are more likely to die within 30 days if infected with SARS-CoV-2. However, timely treatment reduced odds of death. This report provides crucial information to balance the benefits of providing anticancer therapy against the risks of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children with cancer.

This systematic review aimed to provide an overview of the clinical profile and outcome of COVID-19 infection in patients with hemoglobinopathy. The rate of COVID-19 mortality and its predictors were also identified. A systematic search was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines in five electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, WHO COVID-19 database) for articles published between 1st December 2019 to 31st October 2020. All articles with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases with underlying hemoglobinopathy were included. Methodological quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal checklists. Thirty-one articles with data on 246 patients with hemoglobinopathy were included in this review. In general, clinical manifestations of COVID-19 infection among patients with hemoglobinopathy were similar to the general population. Vaso-occlusive crisis occurred in 55.6% of sickle cell disease patients with COVID-19 infection. Mortality from COVID-19 infection among patients with hemoglobinopathy was 6.9%. After adjusting for age, gender, types of hemoglobinopathy and oxygen supplementation, respiratory (adj OR = 89.63, 95% CI 2.514–3195.537, p = 0.014) and cardiovascular (adj OR = 35.20, 95% CI 1.291–959.526, p = 0.035) comorbidities were significant predictors of mortality. Patients with hemoglobinopathy had a higher mortality rate from COVID-19 infection compared to the general population. Those with coexisting cardiovascular or respiratory comorbidities require closer monitoring during the course of illness. More data are needed to allow a better understanding on the clinical impact of COVID-19 infections among patients with hemoglobinopathy.Clinical Trial Registration:https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42020218200.

Background and objectives: Haemoglobin E β-thalassaemia has a variable clinical presentation. This study describes the clinical spectrum of these patients in two thalassaemia centers in Malaysia in addition to determining the prevalence of selected primary and secondary genetic modifiers which may influence its phenotype. Methods: A total of 99 patients were recruited in this cross-sectional study. Clinical parameters and severity scoring were determined. Molecular analysis was performed: Sanger sequencing and MLPA for β globin mutations; multiplex PCR for α-globin gene deletions and RFLP-PCR for XmnI polymorphism.Results: Patients with mild HbE β-thalassaemia were diagnosed at a later age as compared to the severe group (mean 3.14 and 1.6 years, p = 0.03). Haemoglobin level at diagnosis was higher for the mild group as compared to severe group (7.9 g/dL ± 1.97 and 6.0 g/dL ± 1.00, p = 0.02). The commonest β mutation in Malays were IVS1-5 (51.69%) and CD41/42 (20.2%) whereas in the Chinese, IVS2-654(44.4%) and CD41/42(33.4%). Single α-gene deletion (-α3.7/αα) was found in 4% of patients and none were homozygous for XmnI (+/+) polymorphism. Conclusion: Age at presentation and haemoglobin level at initial diagnosis is useful as clinical predictors of disease severity. The majority of our patients had β° gene mutation i.e. IVS1-5 and CD41/42, which accounted for the moderate to severe phenotype based on clinical severity scoring.

Asparaginase-induced hypertriglyceridemia can have a spectrum of clinical presentations, from being asymptomatic to having life-threatening thrombosis or hyperviscosity syndrome. At present, there is no recommendation on routine lipid monitoring during asparaginase-containing treatment phase, nor a standardized guideline on its management. Two cases are presented here to illustrate the effects of concurrent infection on asparaginase-induced hypertriglyceridemia in patients with high-risk ALL and the use of SMOFlipid infusion as a treatment option in an acute situation.

Background: Congenital infantile fibrosarcoma (CIF) is a rare malignant soft tissue tumor that predominantly occurs in children under 1 year of age. CIF is frequently misdiagnosed with other conditions like hemangioma of infancy, infantile fibromatosis, or kaposiform hemangioendothelioma. Disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (DIVC) is rarely reported to be associated with CIF. Case presentation: We describe an infant who presented with a large mass over the right arm. She was initially treated conservatively as hemangioma but was later confirmed by tissue histopathological examination to have CIF as the mass rapidly increased in size. She developed massive intra-tumoral bleed with DIVC whilst receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy requiring multiple blood products transfusion. An urgent near-total resection of the tumor was performed in view of life threatening bleeding despite multiple blood transfusions. Post-operatively, she received further adjuvant chemotherapy. Subsequently, she remained in complete remission 32 months off-treatment and has full function of the affected limb. Conclusions: CIF is an important condition to be considered in infant who has large mass over the extremity. DIVC could be associated with large CIF and when it occurs can be life-threatening. Whenever feasible early surgery should be performed in very young patients with large CIF to prevent mortality from bleeding.

Haemoglobin (Hb)-M Hyde Park, also known as Hb-M Akita is a rare type of hereditary Hb M due to autosomal dominant mutation of CAC>TAC on codon 92 of β globin gene resulting in the replacement of histidine by tyrosine on β globin chain. This variant Hb has a tendency to form methaemoglobin (metHb). The iron ion in metHb is oxidized to ferric (Fe3+) which is unable to carry oxygen and the patients manifest as cyanosis clinically. A 9-year-old Malay girl was incidentally found to be cyanotic when she presented to a health clinic. Laboratory investigations revealed raised methaemoglobin levels and Hb analysis findings were consistent with Hb-M Hyde Park. β gene sequencing confirmed a point mutation of CAC>TAC on codon 92 in one of the β genes. The family study done on the individuals with cyanosis showed similar findings. A diagnosis of heterozygous Hb-M Hyde Park was made. Patients with this variant Hb usually presented with cyanosis with mild haemolysis and maybe misdiagnosed as congenital heart disease. No further treatment is needed as patients are relatively asymptomatic. Although the disease is harmless in the heterozygous carriers but the offspring of the carriers may suffer severe haemolytic anaemia when the offspring also inherit other β haemoglobinopathies/thalassemia. This can happen due to high prevalence of β thalassemia carrier (3.5-4 %) found in Malaysia. At the time of writing, this is the first case of hereditary Hb-M Hyde Park diagnosed in a Malay family living in Malaysia., EXCLI Journal; 15:Doc630; ISSN 1611-2156

Giant cell tumor (GCT) is one of the most common tumors of bone and is the most common precursor of aneurysmal bone cysts (ABC). The clinical behavior of concurrent GCT and ABC can be very aggressive in children. GCT of the ribs, with or without ABC, is rarely seen in children. We report a case of an 8-year-old girl with GCT and associated ABC of the ribs who presented with sudden onset of chest pain and breathlessness due to a hemothorax. The patient was successfully treated by surgical resections and arterial embolization. She has remained well for 4 years after the initial surgery.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate neuropsychological consequences in survivors of childhood brain tumor. Method: A case-control study was conducted over a period of 4 months in a tertiary referral center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Fourteen survivors of childhood brain tumor aged 7–18 years, who were off-treatment for at least 1 year and were in remission, and 31 unrelated healthy controls were recruited. The median age at diagnosis was 8.20 years (range: 0.92–12.96 years). The diagnoses of brain tumors were medulloblastoma, germ cell tumor, pineocytoma, pilocystic astrocytoma, suprasellar germinoma, and ependymoma. Eleven survivors received central nervous system irradiation. Seven tasks were selected from the Amsterdam Neuropsychological Tasks program to evaluate alertness (processing speed), and major aspects of executive functioning, such as working memory capacity, inhibition, cognitive flexibility, and sustained attention. Speed, stability and accuracy of responses were the main outcome measures. Results: Survivors of childhood brain tumor showed statistically significant poorer performance on all tasks compared to healthy controls. Both processing speed and accuracy were impaired in the survivors, in particular under more complex task conditions. The survivors demonstrated deficits in alertness, sustained attention, working memory capacity, executive visuomotor control, and cognitive flexibility. Longer duration off treatment appeared to be correlated with poorer alertness, memory capacity, and inhibition. Conclusion: Survivors of childhood brain tumor in our center showed impaired neuropsychological functioning. Development of less toxic treatment protocols is important to prevent late effects of cognitive deficits in survivors of childhood brain tumor.

Background Acquired thrombotic thrombocytopenia purpura is very rarely encountered in children. It is often misdiagnosed initially when the condition is not inherited. Case presentation We describe a 3-year-old Malay boy who presented with simple febrile seizure and had no neurological deficit, however, he was found to have microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and elevated serum lactate dehydrogenase. An ADAMTS13 assay results showed zero activities (0%), and markedly high level of ADAMTS13 inhibitor (93.15 U/mL) confirming the diagnosis of secondary thrombotic thrombocytopenia purpura. He received fresh frozen plasma infusions for 3 days and subsequently his platelet levels normalized. Serial ADAMTS13 assay results showed improvement. He was also given a short course of prednisolone after which the ADAMTS13 activity normalized (> 114%) at the end of prednisolone course. Conclusions At presentation, acquired thrombotic thrombocytopenia purpura in a very young child is commonly misdiagnosed as other conditions like idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, Evans syndrome, atypical hemolytic-uremic syndrome, or malignancy. ADAMTS13 assay should be performed early when thrombotic thrombocytopenia purpura is suspected as this condition is associated with dire consequences.

Alpha-thalassemia mental retardation syndrome is an X-linked mental retardation (MR) syndrome characterized by a recognizable facial appearance, infantile hypotonia and cryptorchidism. Although the presence of alpha-thalassemia facilitates the diagnosis, its absence does not exclude the diagnosis of this rare syndrome. We describe two siblings who presented with facial dysmorphism, MR and a four-generation pedigree that revealed an X-linked recessive inheritance pattern. Their red blood cell indices were within the normal range; however, hemoglobin H inclusions were detected following cresyl blue staining on their peripheral blood film. Mutational analysis revealed a point mutation C7156T that is predicted to have caused a premature termination within the alpha-thalassemia MR syndrome gene in both siblings. Confirmation of this mutation has facilitated the process of genetic counseling, carrier testing and prenatal diagnosis amongst female relatives in this family.

The survival rate of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has reached >80-90% in developed countries, which is a triumph of modern medicine. This success is due to implementation of contemporary treatment protocols, optimal application of risk stratification, risk-directed multi-agent chemotherapy regimens, and improved supportive care. Unfortunately, such improvements have not translated to Low Middle Income Countries (LMICs), where 90% of the world's children live. The estimated 5 year survival rates in Asia range widely between 44.3% and 80%. The Intercontinental-BFM2002 study, conducted in 15 upper-middle and high-income countries reported a 5 year event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) rates of 74% and 82%, respectively. Factors that may contribute to the lower survival in LMICs are highly complex, including delays in presentation, diagnostic inaccuracy, restricted budget for risk-stratification and appropriate treatment, treatment abandonment and socio economic status. In Malaysia, different protocols are used by different leukemia treatment centers for treating children with ALL. In UKM Medical Centre (UKMMC), the UKALL protocols (modified UK X, XI, XII, 97(99) and 2003) have been used in the Pediatric Hemato-Oncology Unit since the 1990s. Herein, we report the adopted protocol, the stratification profile and outcome of children with ALL, treated with modified UKALL 97(99) and UKALL 2003 in our institution from 2006 to 2014. Clinical data from children with ALL, who received these modified therapies, were retrospectively reviewed. Prednisolone was used in modified UKALL97(99) and Dexamethasone in modified UKALL 2003, while 6-mercaptopurine was used in both modified protocols. Otherwise, chemotherapy and duration of treatment were identical to the original protocols of Regimens A, B and C. ALL was diagnosed based on standard morphology and immunophenotyping criteria. At diagnosis, patients were stratified according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) risk criteria and using FISH for detection of cytogenetic abnormalities. EFS and OS were determined using the Kaplan-Meier methods. Newly diagnosed ALL in 156 children were included in the study; 103 (66.0%) were standard risk, 49 (31.4%) were high risk and 4 (2.5%) were infants. There were 2 children with Down syndrome. The success rate of FISH was 76.4% (94/123). Patients were stratified as standard risk, based on ETV6-RUNX1, and high risk based on unfavorable cytogenetics, BCR-ABL and MLL rearrangements. Half of the patients with unfavorable cytogenetics were classified in the NCI high risk group, with WCC >100x109/L. A total of 151 patients were treated as per risk stratification, 2 patients transferred care, while 3 patients refused treatment. Mortality from sepsis during treatment was approximately 10%, including 2 deaths during induction remission and induction at relapse. The majority of disease progression was relapse-related, however, treatment abandonment also contributed to relapse. Approximately 5% of patients abandoned their treatment (3 patients abandoned and 3 patients refused treatment). The 5-year OS for the standard risk group was 86.6%, with 3-year and 5-year EFS of 88.1% and 83.4%, respectively. The 5-year OS for the high risk group was 65.7%, while 3-year and 5-year EFS were 64.7% and 58.2%, respectively (Figure 1). The MRC UKALL97 stratification by NCI risk reported a 5-year EFS of 83.1% for the standard risk group and 66.9% for the high risk group, while the UKALL2003 interim analysis reported a 5-year EFS of 87.7%. The MRC UKALL97/99 reported a 5-year OS of 88%. The cure rate of children with standard risk ALL at UKMMC, using modified UKALL 97(99) and UKALL 2003 protocols, was comparable to MRC UKALL97. However, the cure rate for high risk ALL was comparatively lower. This single center study from UKMMC has highlighted some critical factors that improved the outcome of children with ALL and suggests further improvements that are necessary to reduce the relapse rate, especially in the high risk ALL patients. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

The ability to characterize micrometer and submicrometer particles in solution is of fundamental importance to understanding the relationship between protein particles in biotherapeutics and concerns raised regarding immunogenicity. While a number of characterization methods are available for analyzing subvisible particle content in protein pharmaceuticals, counting and characterizing particles within the entire subvisible size range remains a significant challenge due to the properties of the proteinaceous particles themselves and to the limitations of the available techniques. Additionally, as silicone oil-lubricated prefilled syringes become a favored primary packaging for biotherapeutic products, proteinaceous subvisible particle characterization is further complicated by the presence of silicone oil droplets in solution. Here, we critically evaluate and apply a novel method for particle characterization that relies on differences in particle buoyant mass to characterize particle content in the range of ca. 0.5-5 μm. A model particle system was specifically designed to evaluate the ability of the suspended microchannel resonator (SMR) to distinguish between buoyant particles (e.g., silicone oil) and dense particles (e.g., protein particles) in aqueous solution. In addition, this emerging technique was successfully applied to high-concentration monoclonal antibody solutions stored in prefilled syringes in stressed stability studies. It is shown that the SMR system can potentially distinguish between silicone oil droplets and protein particles in a size range that is challenging for many subvisible particle characterization methods. Limitations of the SMR method are also discussed.