Charbel Chidiac, Pallavi Menon, Mark B Slidell, Shaun M Kunisaki, Alejandro V Garcia, Daniel S Rhee
{"title":"Inequities in Pediatric Cancer: Unveiling the Impact of Social Determinants of Health on Survival.","authors":"Charbel Chidiac, Pallavi Menon, Mark B Slidell, Shaun M Kunisaki, Alejandro V Garcia, Daniel S Rhee","doi":"10.1002/pbc.31742","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/pbc.31742","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The implications of sociodemographic factors across a wide range of pediatric cancers remain unclear. This study aims to assess the impact of social determinants of health (SDOH) on the survival rates of children diagnosed with cancer.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This retrospective cohort study included children <18 years with cancer in the National Cancer Database (2004-2020). Cancers included were central nervous system (CNS) tumors, leukemia, lymphoma, and non-CNS solid tumors. The primary outcome was five-year overall survival (5-OS). Kaplan-Meier curves and multivariable Cox proportional regression were employed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of 132,076 children (median age 8 years), 14.8% had CNS tumors, 47.4% leukemia/lymphoma, and 37.8% had non-CNS solid tumors. The median follow-up was 67.3 months. 5-OS was lower in Black (78.9% vs. 84.9%, p < 0.001) and Hispanic (82.1% vs. 84.3%, p < 0.001) children, and those publicly insured (82.1%) and noninsured (80.2%) compared with privately insured (85.8%) (p < 0.001). On multivariable analysis, factors associated with increased hazard of death were Black race (aHR 1.28, 95% CI 1.23-1.34), Hispanic ethnicity (aHR 1.08, 95% CI 1.03-1.12), areas with <93% parental high school graduation (aHR 1.20, 95% CI 1.14-1.25), median household income <$63,331 (aHR 1.11, 95% CI 1.06-1.16), nonprivate insurance (aHR 1.16, 95%CI 1.12-1.20), no insurance (aHR 1.36, 95% CI 1.24-1.49), living in rural/urban areas (aHR 1.05, 95% CI 1.01-1.10) and living ≥60 miles from the treating facility (aHR 1.20, 95% CI 1.15-1.24).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>SDOH are associated with disparities in pediatric cancer survival rates. Targeted strategies to enhance care for Black and Hispanic children, as well as those with limited access due to insurance and travel distance, are essential for achieving equitable outcomes for all pediatric cancer patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":19822,"journal":{"name":"Pediatric Blood & Cancer","volume":" ","pages":"e31742"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144011750","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Julia E LaMotte, Jillian R Bouck, Kristen Pogue, Lauren Fancher, Olivia Coughlin, Seethal A Jacob
{"title":"Sickle Cell Story Club: Implementation of a Clinic-Based Literacy Promotion Program.","authors":"Julia E LaMotte, Jillian R Bouck, Kristen Pogue, Lauren Fancher, Olivia Coughlin, Seethal A Jacob","doi":"10.1002/pbc.31755","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/pbc.31755","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Literacy promotion is central to child development, particularly for children with sickle cell disease (SCD) given patterns of neurocognitive involvement. Book ownership programs offer a unique strategy within pediatric healthcare. This study aimed to evaluate the implementation of a literacy promotion program within an outpatient pediatric subspecialty clinic.</p><p><strong>Procedure: </strong>The Sickle Cell Story Club (SCSC) distributed books from March 2021 to December 2023 in an outpatient comprehensive SCD clinic. Families completed home literacy and feedback surveys when receiving a book. Books were provided regardless of data completion and could be refused at any time.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 1711 books were distributed to 386 patients (0-22 years), with an average of four books per patient (range = 1-12 books). Most books were given by psychosocial team members (94.87%). Caregivers of young children (0-5 years) read more (68.8%) as a result of the SCSC, and all found the program to be useful for reading development. Caregivers of school-aged children (6-12 years) observed a positive impact of the SCSC on their child's reading confidence (86.8%). Caregivers of school children and adolescents (13+ years) agreed that the SCSC increased the frequency of reading behaviors as well as enjoyment toward reading. Nearly all families were likely to recommend the SCSC (90.1%).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Given the neurocognitive impact and known disparities in educational resources, patients with SCD are at a unique risk for differences in learning. Literacy promotion is imperative to child development and a chronic disease subspecialty clinic offers a unique opportunity to address this domain.</p>","PeriodicalId":19822,"journal":{"name":"Pediatric Blood & Cancer","volume":" ","pages":"e31755"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144034867","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Joana Azevedo, Jennifer DiRaimo, Cindy Neunert, Nichola Cooper, Rachael F Grace
{"title":"Treatment Landscape in Pediatric Immune Thrombocytopenia: Addressing Unmet Needs.","authors":"Joana Azevedo, Jennifer DiRaimo, Cindy Neunert, Nichola Cooper, Rachael F Grace","doi":"10.1002/pbc.31758","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/pbc.31758","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Pediatric immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is associated with a multifaceted burden on children and their parents/caregivers due to bleeding, fatigue, activity restrictions, and psychological distress. Most children recover within 12 months, but up to 30% develop chronic ITP. While emergent therapies, such as steroids and intravenous immunoglobulin, are effective in many children and transiently raise platelet counts, 38-47% of children require subsequent therapies. The choice of subsequent therapy for individual children with ITP is often complex and the absence of head-to-head comparisons of available therapies and the use of nonstandardized outcomes in randomized clinical trials complicates treatment decisions. Furthermore, medication access varies globally and by age. Additional unmet needs in pediatric ITP include a lack of support and educational resources allowing children and parents/caregivers to effectively participate in treatment decisions, inadequate prediction of treatment response and disease chronicity, heterogeneous approaches to diagnostic evaluation of ITP, scarcity of novel treatments for children unresponsive to current therapies, and the need for a multispecialty approach to support the mental health of children and their families. This review summarizes the known impact of ITP on children and their families, current treatment strategies, and unmet needs in pediatric ITP.</p>","PeriodicalId":19822,"journal":{"name":"Pediatric Blood & Cancer","volume":" ","pages":"e31758"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144015084","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Christina M Abrams, Natalia Davila, Sherif M Badawy, Maura M Kepper, Robert W Gibson, Allison A King, Victor R Gordeuk, Chinonyelum Nwosu, Sophi Li, Jeffrey A Glassberg, Lisa M Klesges, Nirmish Shah, Don Brambilla, Jane S Hankins
{"title":"User Perceptions of a Multilevel mHealth Intervention to Boost Adherence to Hydroxyurea in Sickle Cell Disease.","authors":"Christina M Abrams, Natalia Davila, Sherif M Badawy, Maura M Kepper, Robert W Gibson, Allison A King, Victor R Gordeuk, Chinonyelum Nwosu, Sophi Li, Jeffrey A Glassberg, Lisa M Klesges, Nirmish Shah, Don Brambilla, Jane S Hankins","doi":"10.1002/pbc.31746","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/pbc.31746","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Adherence to hydroxyurea has been low historically. The InCharge Health app demonstrates increased adherence with hydroxyurea, but engagement has not been fully investigated. This study investigated the association between InCharge Health app perceptions and app engagement among adolescents and young adults with sickle cell disease (SCD).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We obtained user perceptions of InCharge with the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS) among participants of the \"Integration of mHealth into Sickle Cell Disease Care to Increase Hydroxyurea Utilization\" study. Days of app use were correlated with reported patient-reported outcomes of interest, ease of use, the utility of features, and importance of features.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of 293 enrolled participants, 284 remained active in the study, and 206 (72.5%) completed the 24-week MARS survey. App Interest was positively correlated with app use (p = 0.01) and self-reported days of app use (p = 0.0008). Perceived ease of use trended toward significance with greater app use (p = 0.06). Most individuals (72.0%, 144/200) agreed the app helped them remember to take hydroxyurea, with trends toward higher days of app use (p = 0.07). Those who used the app more agreed they would continue to use it after the study (p = 0.04). Most individuals (54.3%) reported that reminders to take their hydroxyurea were the most important app feature.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>In this study, positive perceptions toward the application features influenced app use and intention to continue using the application. Determining features that drive application utilization can have a positive impact when an app, such as the InCharge app, is demonstrated to improve adherence with proven therapy.</p>","PeriodicalId":19822,"journal":{"name":"Pediatric Blood & Cancer","volume":" ","pages":"e31746"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143973473","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jianwei Zhang, Longxia Zhou, Huan Du, Lili Zhang, Dali Guo, Huibo An
{"title":"Primary Cervical Clear Cell Adenocarcinoma in an Infant: A Rare Tumor in an Uncommon Site.","authors":"Jianwei Zhang, Longxia Zhou, Huan Du, Lili Zhang, Dali Guo, Huibo An","doi":"10.1002/pbc.31772","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/pbc.31772","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":19822,"journal":{"name":"Pediatric Blood & Cancer","volume":" ","pages":"e31772"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143987162","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Devin Murphy, Raja B Khan, Soniya N Pinto, Jean-Yves Metais, Stephen Gottschalk, Swati Naik
{"title":"Recurrent Immune-Effector Cell-Associated Neurotoxicity Syndrome with Atypical Manifestations after Tisagenlecleucel.","authors":"Devin Murphy, Raja B Khan, Soniya N Pinto, Jean-Yves Metais, Stephen Gottschalk, Swati Naik","doi":"10.1002/pbc.31763","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/pbc.31763","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":19822,"journal":{"name":"Pediatric Blood & Cancer","volume":" ","pages":"e31763"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144031475","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Amanda Acevedo, Daniel J Indelicato, Ryan J Brisson, Anderson B Collier, Julie A Bradley, Raymond B Mailhot Vega, Claire Esler, Sophie Wilne, Roi Dagan
{"title":"Letter to the Editor: Proton Therapy for Locally Advanced Unresectable Ameloblastoma in a Child.","authors":"Amanda Acevedo, Daniel J Indelicato, Ryan J Brisson, Anderson B Collier, Julie A Bradley, Raymond B Mailhot Vega, Claire Esler, Sophie Wilne, Roi Dagan","doi":"10.1002/pbc.31773","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/pbc.31773","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":19822,"journal":{"name":"Pediatric Blood & Cancer","volume":" ","pages":"e31773"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144047630","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Julia T Warren, Christophe Arbet-Engels, Deborah J Steiner, Teresa K Tarrant
{"title":"Comment on: Use of Plerixafor for Short-Term Management of Leukopenia in a Pediatric Patient With WHIM Syndrome.","authors":"Julia T Warren, Christophe Arbet-Engels, Deborah J Steiner, Teresa K Tarrant","doi":"10.1002/pbc.31748","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/pbc.31748","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":19822,"journal":{"name":"Pediatric Blood & Cancer","volume":" ","pages":"e31748"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144034862","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mark N Gaze, Guillaume Beldjoudi, Christian Carrie, Carolyn Freeman, Daniel J Indelicato, Rolf-Dieter Kortmann, Ingrid Kristensen, Anne Laprie, Yasmin Lassen, Anita Mahajan, Karen J Marcus, Pauline Njoki Njiraini, Jeannette Parkes, Arnold C Paulino, Bilal Mazhar Qureshi, Beatriz García Robles, Klaus Seiersen, Beate Timmermann, Natia Esiashvili
{"title":"Twenty Years of the Paediatric Radiation Oncology Society.","authors":"Mark N Gaze, Guillaume Beldjoudi, Christian Carrie, Carolyn Freeman, Daniel J Indelicato, Rolf-Dieter Kortmann, Ingrid Kristensen, Anne Laprie, Yasmin Lassen, Anita Mahajan, Karen J Marcus, Pauline Njoki Njiraini, Jeannette Parkes, Arnold C Paulino, Bilal Mazhar Qureshi, Beatriz García Robles, Klaus Seiersen, Beate Timmermann, Natia Esiashvili","doi":"10.1002/pbc.31764","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/pbc.31764","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In 2005, the Paediatric Radiation Oncology Society (PROS), a multi-professional association to promote radiotherapy for children and young people, was created. Its mission has been to educate those involved in this field, and to improve the standards of radiation oncology care for children, adolescents, and young adults across the globe, not least in less privileged settings where the majority of the world's children, and most with cancer, live. Through regular congresses, and joint meetings with the International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP), PROS has facilitated a focus on this treatment modality, and advocated on behalf of those who might benefit from it.</p>","PeriodicalId":19822,"journal":{"name":"Pediatric Blood & Cancer","volume":" ","pages":"e31764"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143993681","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}