Non-anaplastic peripheral T cell lymphoma in children and adolescents-an international review of 143 cases.

Peripheral T cell lymphomas (PTCL) are rare in children and adolescents, and data about outcome and treatment results are scarce. The present study is a joint, international, retrospective analysis of 143 reported cases of non-anaplastic PTCL in patients <19 years of age, with a focus on treatment and outcome features. One hundred forty-three patients, between 0.3 and 18.7 years old, diagnosed between 2000 and 2015 were included in the study. PTCL not otherwise specified was the largest subgroup, followed by extranodal NK/T cell lymphoma, hepatosplenic T cell lymphoma (HS TCL), and subcutaneous panniculitis-like T cell lymphoma (SP TCL). Probability of overall survival (pOS) at 5 years for the whole group was 0.56 ± 0.05, and probability of event-free survival was (pEFS) 0.45 ± 0.05. Patients with SP TCL had a good outcome with 5-year pOS of 0.78 ± 0.1 while patients with HS TCL were reported with 5-year pOS of only 0.13 ± 0.12. Twenty-five percent of the patients were reported to have a pre-existing condition, and this group had a dismal outcome with 5-year pOS of 0.29 ± 0.09. The distribution of non-anaplastic PTCL subtypes in pediatric and adolescent patients differs from what is reported in adult patients. Overall outcome depends on the subtype with some doing better than others. Pre-existing conditions are frequent and associated with poor outcomes. There is a clear need for subtype-based treatment recommendations for children and adolescents with PTCL.

Incidence, knowledge and health seeking behaviour for perceived allergies at household level: a case study in Ilala district Dar es Salaam Tanzania.

OBJECTIVES: To determine incidence of perceived allergies, causes and management, of disorders associated with allergies at household level in Ilala district. METHOD: A cross sectional study was conducted in Ilala district involving a total of 400 households randomly selected 8 wards out of 22 wards in the district and head of the household interviewed using a structured questionnaire. RESULTS: Of the household members interviewed, 66.8% being females, about 60.0% reported to be allergic to different substances. Food 16.7%, animal dander and fur 15.4%, pollen 13.3%, house dust 11.7%, medicines 8.3%, cosmetics 5.8, and plants 6.3% were the most common causes of allergy within the households. Most individuals were not aware of the source of allergy. Only few (40.4%) respondents had some knowledge about allergy, and they acquired the information through different sources such as mass media, school, friends, other families etc. In terms of prevention, 39.2% knew how the allergies could be prevented, and 41.2% had knowledge on appropriate medicines for the control and treatment of different allergic symptoms. Skin allergies 35.9%, respiratory allergies 13.3%, and allergies of the eye 10.8% were observed to be the most common complains. CONCLUSION: The study shows high prevalence of perceived allergy disorders in the community associated with poor understanding on the possible causes and preventive measures. This highlights the need conduct public education to raise awareness on allergy with a focus on causes and avoidance of exposure to allergens to mitigate effects of allergy in the society.

Allogeneic bone marrow transplantation in children with acute myelogenous leukemia in first remission. Associazione Italiana di Ematologia e Oncologia Pediatrica (AIEOP) and the Gruppo Italiano per il Trapianto di Midollo Osseo (GITMO).

Fifty-nine children, aged 1-15 years, with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) received a bone marrow transplant (BMT) from an HLA-identical sibling (n = 57) or from an identical twin (n = 2), while in first remission (CR). These children represent, to the best of our knowledge, all children grafted in first CR in 11 Italian centers between 1980 and 1990. Patients were prepared with total body irradiation (TBI) plus cyclophosphamide (CY) (n = 50) or melphalan (n = 2) or with busulfan plus CY (n = 7). GVHD prophylaxis consisted of cyclosporin A (n = 48), methotrexate (n = 7) or cyclosporin and methotrexate (n = 2). Survivors have been followed for 21-137 months (median 59 months). Actuarial relapse-free survival was 58% at 66-137 months (95% confidence interval (CI) 44-72). Actuarial risk of relapse was 23% at 48 months (95% CI 10.9-34.8). Risk of non-relapse deaths was 33% in the period 1980-87 and 4% in the period 1988-90 (p = 0.02). In multivariate analysis patients with a blood cell count > 14 x 10(9)/l at diagnosis showed a lower relapse-free survival compared with patients with counts < 14 x 10(9)/l (p = 0.006). We could not detect an effect of FAB subtype, patient age, time to achieve remission or transplant-related variables, including year of BMT, on relapse-free survival. In conclusion, allogeneic marrow transplantation can achieve long-term relapse-free survival in over 50% of children with AML and should be considered as consolidation therapy if a matched sibling is available.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)