The time to diagnosis and survival in children with solid tumors and lymphoma: results from a single center in Turkey

The longer diagnostic intervals in low- and middle-income countries have been proposed among the possible causes of poorer outcomes in children with cancer. In this single-center study from Turkey, the diagnostic intervals and survival status of 138 children with solid tumors and lymphoma (excluding leukemia) were prospectively evaluated. The median total interval (from the beginning of the first cancer-related symptom to the first day of the cancer-specific therapy), the median patient interval (the time interval from the notification of the first cancer-related symptom to the first admission to a healthcare facility), and the median physician interval (the time interval between the first healthcare admission to the first pediatric oncology visit) were 65, 26, and 24 days, respectively. The estimated 5-year overall survival and event-free survival rates were 80.7% and 69.1%, respectively. The longer time intervals were correlated with age, paternal education, localization, and tumor type. Interestingly, none of the time parameters were found to be associated with survival on regression analysis. In conclusion, the diagnostic delay in children with cancer is multifactorial, and the patient- and disease-related factors are as important as the time intervals on survival. Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/08880018.2021.195190

Revaccination in Pediatric Oncology Patients: One Center Experience

Objective: After chemotherapy, cancer survivors suffer from acquired immunological defects and become vulnerable to vaccine-preventable diseases. There are no universally approved revaccination guidelines for non-transplanted oncology patients. This study aimed to share our experience of revaccination in childhood cancer survivors to plan future vaccination schedules

Evaluation of Hematological Parameters in Children with Idiopathic Facial Paralysis: A Case-control Study

Aim:Idiopathic peripheral facial paralysis [Bell’s palsy (BP)] is the most common cause of acute, one-sided facial paralysis, whose etiopathogenesis is currently unknown. However, inflammation is considered to play a role in etiopathogenesis. In this study, we examined the relationship between hematologic parameters and indices in children with BP.Methods:The study included 60 pediatric patients diagnosed with BP between December 2017 and May 2022 and 60 healthy controls of the same age and gender. The relationship between the patient and control cohorts and between the severity of the disease and inflammation markers was analyzed. Low-severe BP (House-Brackmann classification grade 2-3) and high-severe BP (House-Brackmann classification grade 4-5) were grouped. Complete blood count parameters and hematologic indices [neutrophil count/lymphocyte count (NLR), platelet count/lymphocyte count (PLR), monocyte count/lymphoid count (MLR), and platelet mass index] were recorded as inflammation markers.Results:55% of the patients had BP on the right side, 48.3% had grade 3, and 30.0% had grade 4 facial paralysis. Leukocyte, neutrophil, lymphocyte, monocyte, and platelet counts were significantly higher in the patient group than in the control group (p-values p<0.001, p=0.006, p=0.027, p=0.009, respectively). The low-severe BP group had significantly higher leukocyte counts than the highsevere BP group. However, there was no significant difference between the other hematologic parameters and indices (NLR, PLR, MLR, and platelet mass index).Conclusion:Children with BP had higher counts of leukocytes, neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, and platelets than children in the control group. Thus, we believe that these parameters can be used in the diagnosis, differential diagnosis, and treatment of patients with BP

Fibrous Hamartoma Of Infancy: A Case Report With Typical Ultrasonographic Findings

Fibrous hamartoma of infancy (FHI) is a rare, benign lesion which is commonly seen under two years of age. Clinical and radiological features of FHI can mimic malignant soft tissue sarcomas, it is important to make differential diagnosis. Ultrasound (US) examination reveals heterogeneous echogenicity that can be also suggestive for other soft tissue tumors but newly defined "serpentine pattern" of intervening hypoechoic portions in the hyperechoic mass with poorly defined margins and with poor vascularity is special for FHI. Here we report a 15-month-old-boy with FHI with serpentine pattern on US. He initially presented with a painless mass in his left axilla existing for approximately seven months. The mass was successfully excised and he has been followed for three years without any evidence of recurrence. Fibrous hamartoma of infancy should always be considered in differential diagnosis in children under two years of age with a firm and solitary mass in the axilla especially when US reveals serpentine pattern with poorly defined margins and with poor vascularity. If these clinical and ultrasonographic findings are seen in a child under two years old, surgery can be performed without any additional imaging modalities. Awareness and careful assessment are important in order not to misdiagnose this benign mass for which surgical excision is curative.WoSScopu

Adrenal masses in children: Imaging, surgical treatment and outcome

Background/objective: This study aims to evaluate the current surgical approach to adrenal masses in the pediatric age group