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Leuk Lymphoma 2021 Jun 11:1-13. Epub 2021 Jun 11.

Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.

We assessed event-free (EFS) and overall (OS) survival in 676 incident cases of childhood Hodgkin (HL) and non-Hodgkin (NHL) lymphoma actively registered in Greece (1996-2019). HL-OS was 96% and NHL-OS 85%, whereas HL-EFS was 86% and NHL-EFS was 81%, notably similar to the respective OS rates (HL: 95%, NHL: 85%) in developed countries. For HL, older age at diagnosis, high maternal education and close proximity to treatment centers were linked to remarkably favorable outcomes. Read More

Pediatr Blood Cancer 2021 Jun 11:e29020. Epub 2021 Jun 11.

Developmental Biology and Cancer Programme, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK.

Background: The 'Toronto consensus principles and guidelines' (TG) provided paediatric-specific staging system affordable by population-based cancer registries (CRs). Within the European Rare Cancers Joint Action, a pilot study of the application of TG for childhood cancer (CC) was conducted to test the ability of CRs to reconstruct stage, describe stage across countries and assess survival by stage.

Procedure: Twenty-five CRs representing 15 countries contributed data on a representative sample of patients with neuroblastoma (NB) and Wilms tumour (WT) <15 years, diagnosed between 2000 and 2016. Read More

Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2021 Jun 7. Epub 2021 Jun 7.

Section of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, Yale School of Medicine and Yale Cancer Center.

Background: Children treated for cancer are at risk for neuromuscular dysfunction, but data are limited regarding prevalence, longitudinal patterns, and long-term impact.

Methods: Longitudinal surveys from 25,583 childhood cancer survivors {greater than or equal to}5 years from diagnosis and 5,044 siblings from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study were used to estimate the prevalence and cumulative incidence of neuromuscular dysfunction. Multivariable models adjusted for age, sex, race, and ethnicity estimated prevalence ratios (PRs) of neuromuscular dysfunction in survivors compared with siblings, and associations with treatments and late health/socioeconomic outcomes. Read More

JCO Precis Oncol 2021 11;5. Epub 2021 Jan 11.

Clinical Genetics Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD.

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common pediatric soft-tissue sarcoma and accounts for 3% of all pediatric cancer. In this study, we investigated germline sequence and structural variation in a broad set of genes in two large, independent RMS cohorts.

Materials And Methods: Genome sequencing of the discovery cohort (n = 273) and exome sequencing of the secondary cohort (n = 121) were conducted on germline DNA. Read More

Front Pediatr 2021 20;9:675373. Epub 2021 May 20.

Anhui Provincial Cancer Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.

This study is to describe current incidence of childhood clear cell sarcoma of kidney (CCSK) and to investigate the present survival of this cancer. Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Result (SEER) data was used to identify children with CCSK and Wilms tumor (WT) aged 0-19 years in the US. Age-adjusted incidences were estimated over the decades. Read More

Environ Int 2021 Jun 3;155:106673. Epub 2021 Jun 3.

Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Lebanon, NH, United States. Electronic address:

Prenatal arsenic exposure is associated with an increased risk of lung cancer along with multiple non-carcinogenic outcomes, including respiratory diseases in arsenic-contaminated areas. Limited epidemiologic data exist on whether in utero arsenic exposure influences lung development and subsequent respiratory health. We investigated the association between gestational arsenic exposure and childhood lung function in the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study. Read More

Clin Infect Dis 2021 Jun 5. Epub 2021 Jun 5.

Department of Infectious Diseases, Perth Children's Hospital, Nedlands.

Background: Staphylococcus aureus is a common cause of bacteremia, yet the epidemiology, and predictors of poor outcome remain inadequately defined in childhood.

Methods: ISAIAH is a prospective, cross-sectional study of S. aureus bacteremia (SAB), in children hospitalized in Australia and New Zealand, over 24-months (2017-2018). Read More

Eur Respir J 2021 Jun 4;57(6). Epub 2021 Jun 4.

Dept of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark.

Background: Long-term exposure to ambient air pollution has been linked to childhood-onset asthma, although evidence is still insufficient. Within the multicentre project Effects of Low-Level Air Pollution: A Study in Europe (ELAPSE), we examined the associations of long-term exposures to particulate matter with a diameter <2.5 µm (PM), nitrogen dioxide (NO) and black carbon (BC) with asthma incidence in adults. Read More

Subst Abus 2021 Jun 4:1-24. Epub 2021 Jun 4.

Department of Prevention and Community Health, Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA.

Given the potential for increased substance use during COVID-19, we examined (1) young adults' changes in cigarette, e-cigarette, marijuana, and alcohol use from pre- to during COVID-19; and (2) related risk/protective factors. These findings could inform intervention efforts aimed at curbing increases in substance use during periods of societal stress. We analyzed Wave 3 (W3; September-December 2019) and Wave 4 (W4; March-May 2020) from the ape shop dvertising, lace characteristics and ffects urveillance (VAPES), a 2-year, five-wave longitudinal study of young adults across six metropolitan areas. Read More

J Cancer Surviv 2021 Jun 4. Epub 2021 Jun 4.

Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology, University of Washington, Seattle Children's Hospital, 4600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA, 98105, USA.

Purpose: Pediatric patients who undergo hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) are at risk for neurocognitive impairments, which can impact quality of life. Given limited long-term studies, we aimed to characterize the late neurocognitive outcomes in a cohort of pediatric HCT survivors.

Methods: Eligible survivors (HCT at age < 21 year and ≥ 1 year post-HCT) completed a 60-question survey of neurocognitive function and quality of life, which included the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study Neurocognitive Questionnaire (CCSS-NCQ) and the Neuro-Quality of Life Cognitive Function Short Form (Neuro-QoL). Read More

JNCI Cancer Spectr 2021 Jun 8;5(3):pkab036. Epub 2021 Apr 8.

Childhood Cancer Research Group, Danish Cancer Society Research Center, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Background: Having a child diagnosed with cancer is a devastating experience that may affect parents' mental health. We aimed to assess the risk of hospital contacts for psychiatric disorders in parents of children with cancer.

Methods: We conducted a nationwide population-based cohort study using Danish registry data. Read More

BMJ Open 2021 06 2;11(6):e045679. Epub 2021 Jun 2.

Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.

Introduction: Childhood cancers are a leading cause of non-communicable disease deaths for children around the world. The COVID-19 pandemic may have impacted on global children's cancer services, which can have consequences for childhood cancer outcomes. The Global Health Research Group on Children's Non-Communicable Diseases is currently undertaking the first international cohort study to determine the variation in paediatric cancer management during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the short-term to medium-term impacts on childhood cancer outcomes. Read More

BMJ Open Gastroenterol 2021 Jun;8(1)

Department of Medicine, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, New York, USA.

Background And Aims: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer for women and men and the second leading cause of cancer death in the USA. There is emerging evidence that the gut microbiome plays a role in CRC development, and antibiotics are one of the most common exposures that can alter the gut microbiome. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to characterise the association between antibiotic use and colorectal neoplasia. Read More

Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2021 Jun 2. Epub 2021 Jun 2.

Epidemiology, University of California, Berkeley, School of Public Health.

Background: Prenatal immune development may play an important role in the etiology of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

Methods: Seven cytokines - interleukin 1β (IL1β), IL4, IL6, IL8, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) - were analyzed in blood spots collected at birth from 1,020 ALL cases and 1,003 controls participating in the California Childhood Leukemia Study. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) associated with an interquartile range increment in cytokine levels were calculated using logistic regression adjusting for sociodemographic and birth characteristics. Read More

PLoS One 2021 2;16(6):e0251876. Epub 2021 Jun 2.

Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, Department of Non-Communicable Disease Epidemiology, Inequalities in Cancer Outcomes Network, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom.

Background: Pancreatic cancer (PC) represents a substantial public health burden. Pancreatic cancer patients have very low survival due to the difficulty of identifying cancers early when the tumour is localised to the site of origin and treatable. Recent progress has been made in identifying biomarkers for PC in the blood and urine, but these cannot be used for population-based screening as this would be prohibitively expensive and potentially harmful. Read More

J Cancer Surviv 2021 Jun 1. Epub 2021 Jun 1.

Department of Pediatrics, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.

Objective: To characterize the prevalence and predictors of concerns regarding future health and cancer risk among siblings of childhood cancer survivors.

Methods: This study reports longitudinal data (baseline and follow-up) from 3969 adult siblings (median age = 29 [range 18-56] years) of long-term survivors of childhood cancer (median time since diagnosis 19.6 [9. Read More

Cancers (Basel) 2021 May 26;13(11). Epub 2021 May 26.

Department of Radiation Oncology and Radiation Therapy, University Medical Centre of the Johannes Gutenberg University, 55131 Mainz, Germany.

Cancer represents the leading cause of disease-related death and treatment-associated morbidity in children with an increasing trend in recent decades worldwide. Nevertheless, the 5-year survival of childhood cancer patients has been raised impressively to more than 80% during the past decades, primarily attributed to improved diagnostic technologies and multiagent cytotoxic regimens. This strong benefit of more efficient tumor control and prolonged survival is compromised by an increased risk of adverse and fatal late sequelae. Read More

J Clin Med 2021 May 9;10(9). Epub 2021 May 9.

Department of Pediatrics, Section of Hematology-Oncology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA.

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common soft-tissue sarcoma in children, yet little is known about its etiology. Studies that examine either environmental exposures or germline genetic predisposition in RMS have begun to identify factors that contribute to this malignancy. Here, we summarize epidemiological reports of RMS incidence in terms of several factors, including age at diagnosis, biological sex, and geographic location. Read More

Nat Genet 2021 Jun 31;53(6):840-860. Epub 2021 May 31.

Department of Epidemiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.

Glycemic traits are used to diagnose and monitor type 2 diabetes and cardiometabolic health. To date, most genetic studies of glycemic traits have focused on individuals of European ancestry. Here we aggregated genome-wide association studies comprising up to 281,416 individuals without diabetes (30% non-European ancestry) for whom fasting glucose, 2-h glucose after an oral glucose challenge, glycated hemoglobin and fasting insulin data were available. Read More

Leukemia 2021 May 28. Epub 2021 May 28.

Radiation Epidemiology Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA.

There is limited evidence that non-leukaemic lymphoid malignancies are radiogenic. As radiation-related cancer risks are generally higher after childhood exposure, we analysed pooled lymphoid neoplasm data in nine cohorts first exposed to external radiation aged <21 years using active bone marrow (ABM) and, where available, lymphoid system doses, and harmonised outcome classification. Relative and absolute risk models were fitted. Read More

Sleep Med 2021 Mar 10;83:260-270. Epub 2021 Mar 10.

Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.

Objective: To investigate the association of early life abuse with sleep disruption risk in adulthood among U.S. Black women. Read More

Pediatr Blood Cancer 2021 May 27:e29146. Epub 2021 May 27.

Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Thailand.

Background: There are few studies examining the prevalence and clinical risk factors for subsequent systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) development after long-term follow-up in childhood immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). The aims of this study were to evaluate the prevalence and risk factors for subsequent SLE development in childhood ITP.

Methods: The medical records of childhood ITP patients aged under 15 years in a major tertiary care center in Southern Thailand were retrospectively reviewed. Read More

J Cancer Surviv 2021 May 27. Epub 2021 May 27.

Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Mailstop 735, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA.

Purpose: To investigate racial/ethnic-related disparities by insurance status in "forgoing needed medical care in the last year due to finances" in childhood cancer survivors.

Methods: Our study included 3310 non-Hispanic/Latinx White, 562 non-Hispanic/Latinx Black, and 92 Hispanic/Latinx survivors from the St. Jude Lifetime Cohort Study. Read More

Cancer 2021 May 27. Epub 2021 May 27.

Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences L. Sacco, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.

Background: Marked reductions in childhood cancer mortality occurred over the last decades in high-income countries and, to a lesser degree, in middle-income countries. This study aimed to monitor mortality trends in the Americas and Australasia, focusing on areas showing unsatisfactory trends.

Methods: Age-standardized mortality rates per 100,000 children (aged 0-14 years) from 1990 to 2017 (or the last available calendar year) were computed for all neoplasms and 8 leading childhood cancers in countries from the Americas and Australasia, using data from the World Health Organization database. Read More

Epidemiology 2021 May 20. Epub 2021 May 20.

Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA. Biostatistics & Computational Biology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA. Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA. Clinical and Public Health Sciences, Social & Scientific Systems, Durham, NC, USA Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA.

Background: In a previous exploratory study, we reported lower concentrations of the ovarian reserve biomarker anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) in adulthood with prenatal farm exposure. We now examine this association as well as childhood farm exposure using enrollment data from the Sister Study, a large U.S. Read More

Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2021 May 21. Epub 2021 May 21.

Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California

Background: Parental smoking is implicated in the etiology of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common childhood cancer. We recently reported an association between an epigenetic biomarker of early-life tobacco smoke exposure at the AHRR gene and increased frequency of somatic gene deletions among ALL cases.

Methods: Here, we further assess this association using two epigenetic biomarkers for maternal smoking during pregnancy - DNA methylation at AHRR CpG cg05575921 and a recently established polyepigenetic smoking score - in an expanded set of 482 B-cell ALL (B-ALL) cases in the California Childhood Leukemia Study with available Illumina 450K or MethylationEPIC array data. Read More

Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2021 05 20;5:CD013600. Epub 2021 May 20.

Cochrane Cancer, Department I of Internal Medicine, Center for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Duesseldorf, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.

Background: Convalescent plasma and hyperimmune immunoglobulin may reduce mortality in patients with viral respiratory diseases, and are being investigated as potential therapies for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). A thorough understanding of the current body of evidence regarding benefits and risks of these interventions is required.  OBJECTIVES: Using a living systematic review approach, to assess whether convalescent plasma or hyperimmune immunoglobulin transfusion is effective and safe in the treatment of people with COVID-19; and to maintain the currency of the evidence. Read More

BMC Med Res Methodol 2021 May 16;21(1):106. Epub 2021 May 16.

Department of Hematology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

Background: A debilitating late effect for childhood cancer survivors (CCS) is cancer-related fatigue (CRF). Little is known about the prevalence and risk factors of fatigue in this population. Here we describe the methodology of the Dutch Childhood Cancer Survivor Late Effect Study on fatigue (DCCSS LATER fatigue study). Read More

Pediatr Blood Cancer 2021 May 15:e29079. Epub 2021 May 15.

Hellenic Society for Social Pediatrics and Health Promotion, Athens, Greece.

Indian Pediatr 2021 May;58(5):417-423

Global Pediatric Medicine, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, USA.

Background: Hitherto, incidence burden of childhood cancer in India has been derived from GLOBOCAN data. Recent analyses have challenged whether this accurately measures the true incidence of childhood cancer.

Objective: To use observed data rather than simulation to estimate the number of children (0-14 years), as well as number of children and adolescents (0-19 years), in India who develop cancer every year at the national and state/union territory (UT) level. Read More