Life Satisfaction in Young Adults 10 or More Years after Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation for Childhood Malignant and Nonmalignant Diseases Does Not Show Significant Impairment Compared with Healthy Controls: A Case-Matched Study

n/

Molecular remission induced by gemtuzumab ozogamicin associated with donor lymphocyte infusions in t(4;11) acute lymphoblastic leukemia relapsed after transplantation

n/

Glutamine-Enriched Nutrition Does Not Reduce Mucosal Morbidity or Complications After Stem-Cell Transplantation for Childhood Malignancies: A Prospective Randomized Study

n/

Eligibility for allogeneic transplantation in very high risk childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia: the impact of the waiting time.

The advantage of allogeneic transplant from compatible related donors versus chemotherapy in children with very-high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia in first complete remission was previously demonstrated in an international prospective trial. This study quantified the impact of time elapsed in first remission in the same cohort. Of 357 pediatric patients with very-high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia, 259 received chemotherapy, 55 transplantation from compatible related and 43 from unrelated donors. The 5-year disease-free survival was 44.2% overall and 42.5% for chemotherapy only patients. The chemotherapy conditional 5-year disease-free survival increased to 44.4%, 47.6%, 51.7%, and 60.4% in patients who maintained their first remission for at least 3, 6, 9, and 12 months respectively. The overall outcome was superior to that obtained with chemotherapy-only at any time-point. The relative advantage of transplant from compatible related donors in very-high-risk childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia was consistent for any time elapsed in first remission

Assessment of Serum Zinc Levels of Patients with Thalassemia Compared to Their Siblings

Zinc (Zn) is essential for appropriate growth and proper immune function, both of which may be impaired in thalassemia children. Factors that can affect serum Zn levels in these patients may be related to their disease or treatment or nutritional causes. We assessed the serum Zn levels of children with thalassemia paired with a sibling. Zn levels were obtained from 30 children in Islamabad, Pakistan. Serum Zn levels and anthropometric data measures were compared among siblings. Thalassemia patients’ median age was 4.5 years (range 1–10.6 years) and siblings was 7.8 years (range 1.1–17 years). The median serum Zn levels for both groups were within normal range: 100 μg/dL (10 μg/dL–297 μg/dL) for patients and 92 μg/dL (13 μg/dL–212 μg/dL) for siblings. There was no significant difference between the two groups. Patients’ serum Zn values correlated positively with their corresponding siblings (r=0.635, P<0.001). There were no correlations between patients’ Zn levels, height for age Z-scores, serum ferritin levels, chelation, or blood counts (including both total leukocyte and absolute lymphocyte counts). Patients’ serum Zn values correlated with their siblings’ values. In this study, patients with thalassemia do not seem to have disease-related Zn deficiency