Pediatric CNS Tumor Patients Have Significantly Lower Requirement of Tissue Plasminogen Activator for Episodes of Central Venous Catheter Dysfunction Compared With Other Pediatric Oncology Patients: Results of a Population-based Cohort Study.

PURPOSE: Central venous catheters (CVCs) are an important component of care delivery in pediatric oncology patients. However, CVC dysfunction is a common problem. Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is often administered to re-establish function, however, specific experience in pediatric patients with central nervous system (CNS) tumors is lacking. The goal of this study was to investigate the CVC experience and use of tPA for episodes of CVC dysfunction in pediatric patients with CNS tumors in comparison with other patients. METHODS: Medical records of all pediatric oncology patients from the 4 Atlantic provinces in Canada (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador) were reviewed. Data collected included demographics, treatment, details of CVCs along with CVC dysfunction, and tPA use. RESULTS: The cohort consisted of 1152 pediatric oncology patients, 222 (19.3%) of whom had CNS tumors. CVC dysfunction requiring tPA administration occurred in 12 (5.4%) of patients with CNS tumors compared with 182 (19.6%) of patients with non-CNS tumors (P=0.0001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that administration of tPA for CVC dysfunction was 2.5 times more likely in patients with non-CNS tumors than those with CNS tumors (P=0.012; 95% confidence interval, 1.3-4.9). CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed that pediatric patients with CNS tumors require significantly less frequent administration of tPA for episodes of CVC dysfunction than patients with non-CNS tumors after adjusting for confounding factors. Hypotheses for this include: potential biologic differences of tumors, the role of the blood-brain barrier, or systematic differences in intensity of treatments.

Incidence and risk factors of venous thrombotic events in pediatric patients with CNS tumors compared with non-CNS cancer: A population-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a well-recognized complication in pediatric cancer patients. It has been demonstrated that the incidence of VTE in pediatric patients with central nervous system (CNS) tumors is lower than that of patients with other cancers. Risk factors for developing cancer-related thrombosis are numerous and can include patient, disease, or treatment-related influences. The present study was designed to assess the VTE incidence in a pediatric oncology population, and to investigate whether intensity of treatment has similar associated with risk of VTE development in patients with and without CNS tumors. METHODS: A retrospective population-based cohort study of pediatric oncology patients in Atlantic Canada was conducted. Data collected from medical records included demographics, cancer type, treatment, presence of central venous catheters (CVC), and presence of thrombosis. Treatment intensity was assessed using the intensity of treatment rating scale (ITR-3). Study period was from January 2000 to December 2017. SPSS version 24 was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Of 1262 patients with pediatric cancer, 247 (19.6%) had CNS tumors. VTE occurred in significantly fewer (n = 5, 2%) patients with CNS tumors compared with patients with non-CNS cancers (n = 79, 7.8%) (p = 0.001). The ITR-3 scores did not differ significantly between the CNS and non-CNS groups (p = 0.638). In a multivariate logistic regression analysis, ITR-3 score was associated with VTE (odds ratio [OR]: 1.48, 95% CI: 1.2-1.9), while presence of CNS tumor was protective (OR: 0.26, 95% CI: 0.1-0.6). CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate that pediatric patients with CNS tumors experience a significantly lower incidence of VTE compared with patients with non-CNS cancer. An increase in the ITR-3 rating significantly increased the odds of developing VTE.