Wireless phone use in childhood and adolescence and neuroepithelial brain tumours: Results from the international MOBI-Kids study

In recent decades, the possibility that use of mobile communicating devices, particularly wireless (mobile and cordless) phones, may increase brain tumour risk, has been a concern, particularly given the considerable increase in their use by young people. MOBI-Kids, a 14-country (Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain) case-control study, was conducted to evaluate whether wireless phone use (and particularly resulting exposure to radiofrequency (RF) and extremely low frequency (ELF) electromagnetic fields (EMF)) increases risk of brain tumours in young people. Between 2010 and 2015, the study recruited 899 people with brain tumours aged 10 to 24 years old and 1,910 controls (operated for appendicitis) matched to the cases on date of diagnosis, study region and age. Participation rates were 72% for cases and 54% for controls. The mean ages of cases and controls were 16.5 and 16.6 years, respectively; 57% were males. The vast majority of study participants were wireless phones users, even in the youngest age group, and the study included substantial numbers of long-term (over 10 years) users: 22% overall, 51% in the 20-24-year-olds. Most tumours were of the neuroepithelial type (NBT; n = 671), mainly glioma. The odds ratios (OR) of NBT appeared to decrease with increasing time since start of use of wireless phones, cumulative number of calls and cumulative call time, particularly in the 15-19 years old age group. A decreasing trend in ORs was also observed with increasing estimated cumulative RF specific energy and ELF induced current density at the location of the tumour. Further analyses suggest that the large number of ORs below 1 in this study is unlikely to represent an unknown causal preventive effect of mobile phone exposure: they can be at least partially explained by differential recall by proxies and prodromal symptoms affecting phone use before diagnosis of the cases. We cannot rule out, however, residual confounding from sources we did not measure. Overall, our study provides no evidence of a causal association between wireless phone use and brain tumours in young people. However, the sources of bias summarised above prevent us from ruling out a small increased risk

Gliomatosis Cerebri Among Children and Adolescents: An Individual-Patient Data Meta-analysis of 182 Patients

Background: Gliomatosis cerebri is a rare but fatal widespread infiltrating central nervous system tumor. We aimed to describe diagnostic and prognostic features of gliomatosis cerebri among children and adolescents. Methods: We conducted a systematic literature review for published case reports and case series on patients with histologically confirmed gliomatosis cerebri and extracted data on an individual patient level for those aged 0-18 years. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard models were fit for overall survival. Results: Following screening of 274 published studies, 182 gliomatosis cerebri patients (63% males) aged 0-18 years with individual-level data available were identified. The most common presenting symptoms were seizures (52%), focal motor deficits (36%), and headache (30%). Imaging showed bilateral hemisphere involvement in 60%, infratentorial infiltration in 39%, and a focal contrast-enhanced mass (type II gliomatosis cerebri) in 27% of cases. Anaplastic astrocytoma was the most common histologic subtype of pediatric gliomatosis cerebri, whereas MGMT promoter methylation, IDH1 mutations, and codeletion of 1p/19q were less common molecular aberrations, as compared to adult gliomatosis cerebri. In the multivariable analyses, age at diagnosis >4 years, extended central nervous system infiltration, coordination abnormalities, and cognitive decline were predictors of worse outcome. Conversely, IDH1 mutations were associated with prolonged overall survival. Chemotherapy and extended surgical resection were associated with improved outcome, whereas radiotherapy was not associated with overall survival and was inferior to chemotherapy alone. Conclusion: Gliomatosis cerebri among children and adolescents presents distinct histopathologic and molecular features compared to adults. However, similar associations of chemotherapy, and, when feasible, extended surgical resection, with favorable outcomes were noted among the 2 age groups. © The Author(s) 2019

Incidence and survival of gliomatosis cerebri: a population-based cancer registration study

Gliomatosis cerebri (GC) comprises a rare widespread infiltrating growth pattern of diffuse gliomas. We explored the incidence patterns and survival rates of GC in a population-based registration sample from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End, Results database (1973–2012). GC cases (n = 176) were identified based on their International Classification of Diseases in Oncology (ICD-O-3) morphology code (9381). We calculated age-adjusted incidence rates (AIR) and evaluated temporal trends. Survival was assessed with Kaplan–Meier curves and Cox regression models. The annual AIR of GC was 0.1/million. We noted increasing trends in the preceding registration years (1973–2002; annually, + 7%) and a tendency of clinical/radiological approaches to substitute the gold-standard histological assessment for diagnosis. GC was diagnosed in the entire age spectrum (range 1–98 years), but higher incidence rates (0.43/million) were noted among the elderly (≥ 65 years). A slight male preponderance was identified (male-to-female ratio: 1.4). Median overall survival was 9 months with a 5 year survival rate of 18%. Increasing age, primary tumor location not restricted to the cerebral hemispheres and rural residence at diagnosis were identified as negative prognostic factors, whereas receipt of radiotherapy, surgical treatment, race and method of diagnosis were not associated with outcome. This first comprehensive overview of GC epidemiology exemplifies the rarity of the disease, provides evidence for male preponderance and increased incidence among the elderly and shows lower survival rates compared to the published single center reports. Expansion of registration to histological and molecular characteristics would allow emergence of clinical prognostic factors at the population level. © 2018, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature

Compliance with immunization against h1n1 influenza virus among children with cancer

In this report, we describe the experience with immunization against pandemic influenza A H1N1 in children with cancer treated at a pediatric oncology department during the pandemic season (2009). According to the guidelines, vaccination of all children with cancer receiving chemotherapy as well as those who had completed treatment was scheduled. Among the 140 children who were eligible for immunization, 122 were immunized, achieving a compliance rate of 87% despite negative publicity and low vaccine uptake in the general population. The vaccine was tolerated and none of the vaccinated children developed influenza. It is concluded that high immunization rates can be achieved among pediatric oncology patients. © 2013 Informa Healthcare USA, Inc

Genetic variants in immunoregulatory genes and risk for childhood lymphomas

To investigate whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in key cytokine and innate immunity genes influence risk for childhood lymphomas, we genotyped 37 children with Hodgkin's (HL) and 48 with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), aged (1 month-14 yr), along with their 85 age- and gender-matched controls suffering from mild medical conditions. Genotypic analysis was performed for 10 SNPs from nine genes with important role in immunoregulatory pathways (IL4, IL4R, IL6, IL10, IL12, IL18, TNFα, IFNγ, CD14). Analysis of SNPs genotypes revealed that the CD14 -159 C>T polymorphism was associated with significantly increased risk for HL regarding both the CC and CT genotypes (OR CC: 5.36; 95% CI, 1.30-22.14; P = 0.02, OR CT: 3.76; 95% CI, 1.00-14.16; P = 0.05). An indicative association between IL18-137 G>C polymorphism with the CC genotype and NHL did not reach, however, statistical significance (OR CC, 3.78; 95% CI, 0.87-16.38; P = 0.08). In conclusion, our findings suggest that genetic variation in the CD14-159 loci may be associated with childhood HL risk; these preliminary findings need to be further confirmed in sizeable multi-centre studies along with determination of cytokines, which could provide an insight on the biologic basis underlying these findings. © 2009 John Wiley & Sons A/S

Delayed exposure to infections and childhood lymphomas: A case-control study

Objectives: Delayed exposure to common infections during childhood, have been implied to cause strong immunological response to a single infectious agent that eventually triggers leukemogenesis. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether decreased exposure to infections, as reflected in a more seronegative spectrum to several common infectious agents, is associated with increased risk for the development of childhood lymphomas. Methods: All 125 children (up to 14 years old), with Hodgkin (HL, n = 52) and non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL, n = 73) diagnosed through the national network of childhood Hematology-Oncology units during an 8-year period were enrolled in the study along with 125 age- and gender-matched controls. Past exposure to nine common infections [respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza A and B, parainfluenza type 1, adenovirus, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), human herpes virus 6 (HHV6), Bartonella henselae] was assessed using serological markers. Results: After controlling for possible confounding factors, the overall seronegativity status upon diagnosis was statistically significantly associated with NHL [odds ratio; 95% CI: 1.45 (1.10-1.93), p = 0.01] and less so with HL risk [odds ratio; 95% CI: 1.30 (0.83-2.05), p = 0.25]. A statistically significant association of seronegativity with the development of NHL was evident for RSV [odds ratio; 95% CI: 7.27 (1.59-33.28), p = 0.01], EBV [odds ratio; 95% CI: 6.73 (1.45-31.20), p = 0.01] and suggestive association for influenza B [odds ratio; 95% CI: 2.60 (0.90-7.55), p = 0.08] and influenza A [odds ratio; 95% CI: 2.35 (0.81-6.80), p = 0.11]. In contrast, there was no evidence for association of HL with negative serology for any of the infectious agents tested. Conclusions: The risk of lymphomas, especially NHL, might be higher when, due to lower exposure to several infectious agents, the relatively unmodulated immune system of a child is challenged by environmental stimuli that can trigger development of lymphomas. The results, however, need further confirmation, through more pertinent methodological designs. © 2009 Springer Science+Business Media B.V