Background and purpose: To reduce relapse risk, Total Body Irradiation (TBI) is part of conditioning regimens for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in pediatric acute leukemia. The study purpose was to evaluate clinical practices regarding TBI, such as fractionation, organ shielding and delivery techniques, among SIOPE affiliated radiotherapy centers. Methods: An electronic survey was sent out to 233 SIOPE affiliated centers, containing 57 questions about clinical practice of TBI. Surveys could be answered anonymously. Results: From over 25 countries, 82 responses were collected. For TBI-performing centers, 40/48 irradiated 10 pediatric patients annually (range: 1-2 to >25). Most indications concerned acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) or acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Four different fractionation schedules were used, of which 12 Gy in 6 fractions was applied in 91% for ALL and 86% for AML. Dose reduction to the lungs, mostly to a mean dose of 8-10 Gy, was applied by 28/33 centers for ALL and 19/21 centers for AML, in contrast to much less applied dose reduction to the kidneys (7/33 ALL and 7/21 AML), thyroid (2/33 ALL and 2/21 AML), liver (4/33 ALL and 3/21 AML) and lenses (4/33 ALL and 4/21 AML). Conventional TBI techniques were used by 24/29 responding centers, while 5/29 used advanced optimized planning techniques. Conclusion: Across SIOPE, there is a high level of uniformity in fractionation and use of lung shielding. Practices vary regarding other organs-at-risk shielding and implementation of advanced techniques. A SIOPE radiotherapy working group will be established to define international guidelines for pediatric TBI.

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Extramedullary plasmacytoma of the head and neck is a rare indolent neoplasm. Radiotherapy is often the preferred treatment option with excellent local control and survival. The risk of local recurrence or transformation to multiple myeloma is 10- 30%. In our case-cohort, thorough, sensitive initial evaluation for disseminated clonal disease and the incorporation of surgery led to excellent results with no recurrences or systemic progression.

IntroductionSubsequent breast cancer (SBC) represents a major complication in childhood cancer survivors and screening for SBC in survivors after incidental irradiation of breasts is recommended. In this article, we report the results and discuss benefits of SBC screening in female pts treated for Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) in Slovenia in a period of 45 years.MethodsBetween 1966 and 2010, 117 females were treated for HL under the age of 19 in Slovenia. One hundred five of them survived for 5 years and were included in our study. They were 3–18 (med. 15) years old at diagnosis and followed for 6–52 (med. 28) years. Eighty-three percent of them had chest RT with a median dose of 30 Gy. Ninety-seven (92%) of 105 pts were regularly followed according to the international guidelines including yearly screening mammography/breast MRI in those who received chest RT.ResultsWe diagnosed 10 SBCs in eight pts 14–39 (med. 24) years after diagnosis at the age of 28–52 (med. 42) years. At 40 years of follow-up, cumulative incidence of SBCs in females who got chest RT was 15.2%. Seven of eight patients (with 9 SBCs) got chest RT with 24–80 (med. 36) Gy at the age of 12 to 18 (median 17) years. Two patients in this group got bilateral SBC. One patient got invasive SBC after being treated with ChT containing high-dose of anthracyclines without chest RT at the age of 13. All eight invasive SBCs were invasive ductal cancers, HER2 receptors negative, all but one with positive hormonal receptors. Six invasive cancers were of stage T1N0, one T1N1mi, only one, diagnosed before era of screening, was of T2N1. None of 8 pts died of SBC.ConclusionAfter introduction of regular breast screening in our female patients, who received chest RT in childhood, all SBCs were of early stage and no patients died of SBC. Survivors of pediatric HL should be informed about the risk of late sequelae of treatment for HL, including SBC. Regular follow-up with breast cancer screening and breast self-examination is of vital importance in those treated with chest RT.

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