The Comparison of The Efficacy and Safety of Original and Biosimilar Filgrastim in Prevention of Chemotherapy-Induced Neutropenia in Children with Cancer

Conclusion: The biosimilar filgrastim, Leucostim, is as effective and safe as the original drug for prophylaxis of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia in children

Assessment of Humoral Immunity to Hepatitis B, Measles, Rubella, and Mumps in Children After Chemotherapy

Background:Cancer survival rates and longevity of patients after therapy have significantly improved during the last few decades. Therefore, lasting protection against infections should be provided.Procedure:A total of 162 children diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, acute myelogenous leukemia, solid tumors, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and Hodgkin lymphoma were enrolled in the study. Antibody levels against hepatitis B virus was assessed both at the time of diagnosis and within 6 months after completion of chemotherapy. However, measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) antibodies levels were measured just within 6 months after completion of chemotherapy.Results:Anti-HBs antibody titers had decreased below the protective level after treatment in 25 of 96 patients having protective antibody levels for hepatitis B virus before therapy. In 66 patients without pretreatment protective levels of antibody, in spite of the immunization during chemotherapy, only 6 of them were found to be anti-HBS positive after treatment. In 153 patients previously vaccinated with MMR, 19 had protective antibody titers after treatment. MMR seropositivities were negatively correlated to age as expected.Conclusions:Our data demonstrate that a significant number of children lose preexisting humoral immunity against MMR and hepatitis B after completion of chemotherapy

Nutritional Status of Children with Cancer: A Single Center Experience

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Nutritional deficiency in children with cancer at the time of diagnosis is not much more than in children hospitalized due to acute infection. However, a temporary weight loss is observed in cancer patients during the follow up

The effect of therapeutic music on anxiety in children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia

42-46Cancer and its treatment are generally considered to be stressful. One of the important approaches used to reduce the anxiety is therapeutic music. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of therapeutic music on anxiety in children with ALL. This study was conducted as single-grouped pre-test, post-test quasi-experimental design at the paediatric oncology unit of a university hospital in Turkey between February 2010 and June 2010. 28 children were selected by using convenience sampling. In order to obtain the study data, the VAS was used. The duration of the therapeutic music sessions ranged from 15 to 30 minutes during the chemotherapy procedure in the child’s room. At the beginning and end of therapeutic music session, the child completed 0-10 point VAS.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"> In this study, it was determined that anxiety of post-test measures decreased to pre-test measures for all age groups and the difference between them was found as statistically very significant (p P<0.05 is a standard level of significance. The findings of this study, which are consistent with previous reports, support the opinion that therapeutic music may have a positive effect on hospitalised paediatric oncology patients. </span

A Case of Pseudomonas stutzeri Bacteremia in a Patient with Hematologic Malignancy

Pseudomonas stutzeri is a gram-negative bacterium, ubiquitous in the environment, and it also causes opportunistic infections in humans. We describe a case with hematologic malignancy, peripheral T-cell lymphoma. The patient was hospitalized for antineoplastic chemotherapy. In the course of treatment, the patient acquired P. stutzeri, most probably from the hospital environment and bacteremia of P. stutzeri and then pneumonia developed. The bacteria were identified based on conventional microbiological identification techniques. Even though P. stutzeri is ubiquitous in the environment and a rare human pathogen, it should always be considered as a bacterial agent for opportunistic infections in hospitalized patients, especially immune depressed patients

Clinical experience with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator in the management of intracardiac and arterial thrombosis in children

Thrombotic events may complicate the clinical course of many pediatric diseases. Drugs for therapeutic thrombolysis include streptokinase, urokinase and tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA). There is less experience with recombinant t-PA (rt-PA) in children. We aimed to present our experiences with rt-PA in children with intracardiac or peripheral arterial thrombus. We retrospectively reviewed the children who received rt-PA for thrombus. Twenty-two children (13 boys, 9 girls; age range: 1 day-17 years) with intracardiac (n = 5), prosthetic heart valve (n = 2) and peripheral arterial (n = 15) thrombus were evaluated. Twelve (54%) had congenital heart disease, two (9%) had rheumatic heart disease, three (14%) had leukemia and five (23%) had documented sepsis, prematurity or meconium aspiration syndrome. Ten of the 15 peripheral arterial thromboses were observed following cardiac catheterization. Three of the five intracardiac thrombi were detected in children with leukemia. All children received low-molecular-weight heparin. rt-PA (alteplase) infusion (at a dose of 0.01-0.5 mg/kg per h) was administered for different time periods (3-66 h). Ten of 11 patients with peripheral arterial occlusion and three of five patients with intracardiac thrombus showed full recovery. However, there was no response in two patients with intracardiac thrombus and in two patients with heart valve thrombus. Nose bleeding, melena and decreased serum fibrinogen concentration were observed in seven patients during the rt-PA infusion. All bleedings stopped after cessation of rt-PA infusion, and no blood transfusion was required in any patient We conclude that rt-PA infusion seems effective and well tolerated in children for the treatment of peripheral arterial and intracardiac thrombus. Blood Coagul Fibrinolysis 25:726-730 2014 (C) Wolters Kluwer Health vertical bar Lippincott Williams & Wilkins