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IntroductionAcute lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) is the most common pediatric malignancy. While the survival rate for childhood ALL exceeds 90% in high-income countries, the estimated survival in low-and middle-income countries ranges from 22-79%, depending on the region and local resources.MethodsThis study retrospectively reviewed demographic, biological, and clinical parameters of children under 18 years of age with newly diagnosed ALL presenting between 2013-2017 across five pediatric centers in 4 countries in South America. Survival analyses were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method.ResultsAcross the five centers, 752 patients were analyzed (Bolivia [N=9], Ecuador [N=221], Paraguay [N=197], Peru [N=325]) and 92.1% (n=690) patients were diagnosed with B-cell and 7.5% (n= 56) with T-cell ALL. The median age was 5.5 years old (IQR 7.29). At diagnosis, 47.8% of patients were categorized as standard and 51.9% as high risk per their institutional regimen. Advanced diagnostics availability varied between modalities. MRD was evaluated in 69.1% of patients; molecular testing was available for ETV6-RUNX, BCR-ABL1, TCF3-PBX1, and KMT2A-rearranged ALL in 75-81% of patients; however, karyotyping and evaluation for iAMP21 were only performed in 42-61% of patients. Central nervous system (CNS) involvement was evaluated at diagnosis in 57.3% (n=429) patients; of these, 93.7% (n=402) were CNS 1, 1.6% (n=7) were CNS 2, 0.7% (n=11) were CNS3, 1.9% (n=8) had cranial nerve palsy, and 2.1% (n=9) results unavailable. Chemotherapy delays >2 weeks were reported in 56.0% (n=421) patients during treatment. Delays were attributed to infection in 63.2% (n=265), drug-related toxicities in 47.3% (n=198), and resource constraints, including lack of bed availability in 23.2% (n=97) of patients. The 3-year Abandonment-sensitive EFS and OS were 61.0±1.9% and 67.2±1.8%, respectively. The 3-year EFS and OS were 71.0±1.8% and 79.6±1.7%, respectively.DiscussionThis work reveals opportunities to improve survival, including addressing severe infections, treatment interruptions, and modifications due to drug shortages. In 2018, healthcare professionals across South America established the Pediatric Oncology Latin America (POLA) group in collaboration with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. POLA collaborators developed an evidence-based, consensus-derived, adapted treatment guideline, informed by preliminary results of this evaluation, to serve as the new standard of care for pediatric ALL in participating institutions.

Introducción: En julio de 2009 se reportó un brote de influenza A (H1N1) en el Servicio de Medicina ‘D’ del Instituto Nacional de Salud del Niño (INSN), de Lima, Perú. Objetivos: Describir las características clínicas y evolución de pacientes hospitalizados que presentaron infección por virus de Influenza A(H1N1) asociados a co-morbilidad crónica. Diseño: Estudio clínico retrospectivo. Institución: Instituto Nacional de Salud del Niño, Lima, Perú. Pacientes: Pacientes pediátricos hospitalizados en el Servicio de Medicina ‘D’. Métodos: Análisis de la información obtenida de la historia clínica del Servicio de Medicina ‘D’ del Instituto de Salud del Niño de todos los casos de Influenza A (H1N1) asociados a comorbilidad crónica, desde el 1 de julio hasta el 31 de agosto de 2009. Se describe las características clínicas y evolución de los pacientes hospitalizados. Principales medidas de resultados: Evolución y pronóstico de la infección viral. Resultados: En el periodo estudiado se reportó 18 casos de influenza A (H1N1) confirmados, en pacientes hospitalizados, de los cuales doce pacientes, entre 2 y 17 años de edad, cumplían con los criterios de inclusión y en diez de ellos se consideró la infección como intrahospitalaria. Ninguno requirió ventilación asistida y todos recibieron tratamiento con oseltamivir. La fiebre y la tos fueron los hallazgos más frecuentes y la resolución clínica ocurrió entre el segundo y el vigésimo cuarto día de enfermedad. Conclusiones: El brote de influenza A (H1N1) en pacientes pediátricos con comorbilidad crónica tratados con oseltamivir no produjo mortalidad durante el periodo agudo de enfermedad. Las medidas preventivas, la estrecha vigilancia y el tratamiento médico oportuno influenciaron en la evolución y pronóstico de la infección viral.