You are at rock bottom: A qualitative systematic review of the needs of bereaved parents as they journey through the death of their child to cancer.

PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION: This systematic review will examine the social support needs of bereaved parents in the specific context of pediatric cancer by synthesizing the qualitative evidence. Social support encompasses emotional, practical, informational, and meaning-making support needs. LITERATURE SEARCH: The Joanna Briggs Institute procedures for conducting qualitative systematic reviews guided every stage of this review. Four databases (PsychInfo, CINAHL, Pubmed, and ASSIA) were systematically searched, in addition to the gray literature and scoping review. Through a five-step critical appraisal process 11 out of 668 potential articles were identified as meeting the inclusion criteria. DATA EVALUATION/SYNTHESIS: Relevant findings were synthesized with a thematic-synthesis approach. Findings, which follow the journey of bereaved parents integrated under the core-category "Needs." This encompasses of four higher-level categories: Last days: Parent needs when caring for their dying child Rest in peace: Parent needs during the child's death Feeling abandoned: Parent needs for contact after the child's death Searching for Meaning: Parents needs when making sense of loss. CONCLUSION: Informational support needs is largely unexplored in academic literature. Staff in the treating-hospital are central in offering bereavement-support to parents, who may otherwise feel that they have lost their second home (hospital) and second family (staff).

Administration of Home Intravenous Chemotherapy to Children by their Parents.

OBJECTIVES: Caring for a child with cancer can disrupt family life and financial stability, in addition to affecting the child's social, emotional, and educational development. Health care providers must consider ways to minimize the negative impact of illness and hospitalization on the child and family. This study evaluates a nationwide initiative to educate and support parents to administer chemotherapy to their child in their home. METHOD: A questionnaire was circulated to parents participating in a home chemotherapy program from 2009 to 2014 (n = 140), seeking their perspective on the education program, and the benefits and concerns associated with administering home chemotherapy. Data analysis was conducted using a combination of descriptive statistics and content analysis. RESULTS: Questionnaires were received from 108 parents (response rate = 77%). Overall, the program was positively evaluated with 100% of parents (n = 108) reporting that the training met their needs. More than one-third of parents (41%, n = 44) initially felt nervous about home chemotherapy but reported that the education program helped assuage their concerns. Benefits included reduced financial costs, reduced travel time to hospital, less disruption to family life, and less stress for the child and family. No medication errors were reported during the evaluation period. CONCLUSION: An important feature of the program is the partnership approach, which ensures that parents' decision to enter the program is informed, appropriate for their situation, and centered on the needs of the child.

Successful treatment with rituximab and mycophenolate mofetil of refractory autoimmune hemolytic anemia post-hematopoietic stem cell transplant for dyskeratosis congenita due to TINF2 mutation.

AIHA following allogeneic HSCT is appearing more frequently in the literature. It occurs as a result of donor cell-derived antibodies targeting donor red cell antigens. Little guidance exists on the management of such patients, particularly in the pediatric setting. First-line conventional treatment is corticosteroids and/or immunoglobulin therapy with monoclonal antibody therapy reserved for treatment failure. We report our experience of a child refractory to immunoglobulin and steroid therapy who required several infusions of rituximab and immunomodulatory therapy to obtain a clinically significant response.

Does vaccine dose predict response to the monovalent pandemic H1N1 influenza a vaccine in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia? A single-centre study.

BACKGROUND: Vaccination against influenza is an important strategy in preventing severe infection among children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Successful vaccination depends on both vaccine and host-related factors. We conducted a study on factors predicting the immunogenicity of the monovalent pandemic H1N1 (pH1N1) influenza A vaccine in children with ALL. METHODS: Children with ALL in our hospital were recruited and received two doses of the inactivated split-virion AS03-adjuvanted vaccine. The serological response was measured before each vaccine dose (Day 0 and 28) and 3 months after the second dose. Antibody titres were measured using a hemagglutination-inhibition assay. Seroconversion was defined as a ≥fourfold increase in antibody titre and a post-vaccination titre ≥1:40. RESULTS: Pre and post-vaccination titres were available from 45 children with ALL after one dose of the vaccine and 39 children after two doses. The seroconversion rate was 11.1% after one dose and 25.6% after the second dose. Univariate analysis demonstrated a significantly higher (P = 0.01) seroconversion rate among children who received the adult dose (0.5 ml) of the vaccine and a trend towards increased seroconversion (P = 0.07) by multivariate analysis. Factors including age, gender, lymphocyte count, treatment phase and regimen did not significantly affect the seroconversion rate. Children who received the adult dose demonstrated a significantly greater magnitude of serological response after both one dose (P = 0.04) and two doses (P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that the immunogenicity of the pH1N1 vaccine among children with ALL is improved by repeated and adult doses of the vaccine.

Esophageal strictures during treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Esophageal stricture is a rare complication of paediatric cancer treatment that usually occurs after esophageal exposure to radiotherapy. We describe 4 cases of esophageal stricture during chemotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. All patients presented with refractory vomiting and were diagnosed with radiologic contrast studies. None of the patients had received radiotherapy. Esophageal candidiasis was seen in 2 patients but the remaining 2 patients had earlier systemic candidiasis. High-dose dexamethasone may predispose these children to both esophageal candidiasis and peptic esophagitis. The etiology of esophageal strictures during treatment for acute leukemia is likely to be multifactorial but systemic candidiasis may play a significant role.