Background: Primary malignant mediastinal germ cell tumors (GCTs) are rare pediatric tumors that have a poorer prognosis compared to GCTs occurring elsewhere in the body. The current study aimed to assess the prognostic factors and treatment outcomes of children with primary malignant mediastinal GCT in Taiwan.
Methods:The authors retrospectively reviewed children 0-18 years old who were newly diagnosed with primary malignant mediastinal GCT between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2019 and were registered in the Taiwan Pediatric Oncology Group patient registry. The impact of presenting characteristics, including sex, age,
Osteonecrosis (ON) is a potentially disabling complication encountered in children who receive chemotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Considering the possible effect of ethnic difference on the clinical features of symptomatic ON in pediatric ALL, we retrospectively evaluated 245 children with ALL who were treated at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, between 2002 and 2011. Six (2.4 %) patients developed symptomatic ON in a total of 17 sites during the follow-up period. Diagnosis of ON was confirmed by X-ray in seven, magnetic resonance imaging in two, and bone scan in three patients. The estimated cumulative incidence of symptomatic ON in newly diagnosed ALL was 3.4 % at 8 years. Four patients received ON-directed surgical interventions, including total hip replacement in three and arthroplasty in one. The incidence of ON was significantly higher among girls (P = 0.03), patients >10 years old (P = 2.2 × 10(-4)), and patients who had received more intensive chemotherapy regimen (P = 0.02). These results indicate that the incidence and risk factors in our institute were similar to those observed in Western countries. Future studies surveying the impact on the quality of life of childhood ALL survivors in Taiwan are warranted.
AimsTo explore the concerns and experiences of parents of children scheduled to receive allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation.DesignA qualitative secondary analysis of interview data from an intervention study.MethodsA total of 28 parents (4 fathers and 24 mothers) were recruited from a children's hospital, which performs approximately one‐third of all paediatric haematopoietic stem cell transplantation cases in Taiwan. Data were collected between September 2015–August 2018 by one researcher with face‐to‐face interviews, which were tape‐recorded and transcribed verbatim. The data were analysed using inductive content analysis to extract the main themes.ResultsFive themes describing parental concerns prior to paediatric haematopoietic stem cell transplantation were identified: the child became their first priority, seeking solutions, an interweaving of hope and uncertainty, grateful for the chance of a cure and the long road to recovery.ConclusionUnderstanding the concerns and experiences of our participants as they navigated the pre‐transplantation period could reduce parents’ uncertainty and improve the care of their child.ImpactThese experiences provide information that could be used by healthcare professionals to develop support interventions and strategies tailored to the individual needs of each parent, which could prepare parents for their child's haematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
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