Wilson disease in offspring of affected patients: report of four French families.

BACKGROUND: Wilson disease (WD) is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder caused by mutations in the ATP7B gene resulting in toxic accumulation of copper mainly in the liver and brain. Early treatment may prevent irreversible tissue damage. AIM: We report on four families with an occurrence of WD in two consecutive generations in order to highlight the need for screening offspring of affected parents. RESULTS: In all families, one parent was known to be affected with WD. Screening for the disease was not performed in children from two families until occurrence of liver disease in one and of neurological symptoms in the other. In two other families, screening of children as soon as diagnosis was performed in the affected parent allowed a timely rescue of advanced liver disease in one while two affected children were asymptomatic. In three children, diagnosis required direct sequencing of the ATP7B gene. Two novel disease-causing mutations are reported. CONCLUSION: Patients with WD should be offered genetic counselling when considering pregnancy and offspring should always be screened for the disease. Diagnostic difficulties based on copper disturbances in asymptomatic children that are obligate carriers of the Wilson gene and the usefulness of molecular diagnosis are discussed.

Efficacy of fractionated gemtuzumab ozogamicin combined with cytarabine in advanced childhood myeloid leukaemia.

Gemtuzumab ozogamicin (GO) monotherapy is reported to yield a 20-30% response rate in advanced acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). This study examined the efficacy and tolerability of GO combined with cytarabine (GOCYT) in children with refractory/relapsed CD33(+) AML. Seventeen children received GO 3 mg/m(2) on days 1, 4 and 7 plus cytarabine 100 mg/m(2)/d for 7 d on a compassionate-use basis. Seven patients then received GO-based consolidation. At the outset of GOCYT, two patients were refractory; eight patients were in refractory first relapse; six patients had relapsed after stem cell transplantation (SCT); and one patient [del(5q) therapy-related AML (t-AML)] had not yet been treated. Mean follow-up was 17 months (8-33 months). Ten responses were obtained after GOCYT induction, including complete remission (CR) or CR without complete recovery of platelets (CRp) in six patients (35%). The responses improved in three children who received GOCYT consolidation, increasing the CR + CRp rate to 53%. SCT was subsequently performed in eight responders. Grade 3-4 adverse events consisted of haematological disorders (n = 17, 100%) and documented infections (n = 5, 29%). No cases of sinusoidal obstructive syndrome occurred. Three patients were alive at the cut-off date for this analysis, all of whom had responded to GOCYT. GOCYT combination therapy yielded a high response rate (53%) and showed acceptable toxicity in heavily pretreated children with refractory/relapsed AML. These results warrant a larger prospective study.

Childhood cancer survival in France, 1990-1999.

The aim of this study was to describe the overall survival after childhood cancer in France using follow-up data from regional population-based registries. The survival of children (aged under 15 years) diagnosed with a cancer during 1990-1999 was analysed. For all cancers, the survivals were, respectively, 90.3% [89.4-91.3] at 1-year, 75.2% [73.8-76.6] at 5 years and 72.2% [70.7-73.7] at 10 years. During the 1990s, the average improvement in the 5-year survival was +1.2% per year. Adjusted for gender, age, area of residence and stage, children with cancer diagnosed between 1995 and 1999 had a 0.80 reduced risk of dying compared with those whose cancer had been diagnosed between 1990 and 1994. The increase of survival at the population level reflects a global improvement in childhood cancer care. The Paediatric Registries, in association with the French Society of Childhood Cancer, are now collecting data to quantify on a national basis the other events, at least relapse and second cancers.

Familial history of cancer and childhood acute leukemia: a French population-based case-control study.

A case-control study was conducted to investigate the role of a familial history of cancer in the etiology of childhood acute leukemia. The history of cancer in the relatives of 472 cases was compared with that of 567 population-based controls. Recruitment was frequency matched on age, sex and region. The familial history of cancer in each child's relatives was reported by the mother in response to a standardized self-administered questionnaire. A familial history of solid tumor in first or second-degree relatives was associated with an increased risk of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (odds ratio (OR)=1.6 [95% confidence interval, 1.2-2.1]), while a familial history of hematopoietic malignancies in first or second-degree relatives was associated with an increased risk of acute myeloid leukemia (OR=4.3 [1.4-13]). The ORs for the histories of cancer increased with the number of relatives with cancer (OR=1.5 [1.1-2.0] for one relative and OR=2.3 [1.3-3.8] for two relatives or more; Ptrend<0.0001). Significant associations between childhood acute leukemia and familial history of genital cancers and brain tumor were also observed (OR=2.7 [1.2-5.8] and OR=10.7 [1.3-86], respectively). This study supports the hypothesis that a familial history of cancer may play a role in the etiology of childhood acute leukemia. It also evidences some specific associations that require further investigation.

Multicenter randomized trial of chewing gum for preventing oral mucositis in children receiving chemotherapy.

The properties of saliva led us to hypothesize that the salivary flow increase induced by gum chewing might protect the oral mucosa from lesions due to cancer chemotherapy. We conducted a multicenter randomized trial to evaluate the efficacy of chewing gum in preventing oral mucositis in 145 children receiving chemotherapy regimens expected to induce WHO grade 3-4 oral mucositis in at least 30% of patients. Patients were allocated at random to standard oral care with or without 5 gum pieces per day. No overall reduction in severe oral mucositis occurred in the gum arm (51%) compared with the standard arm (44%). VIDE, COPADM, and multidrug intensive chemotherapy caused severe oral mucositis in 75% of patients in both arms. In patients receiving less toxic regimens, a decrease in WHO grade 1-4 oral mucositis was noted in the gum arm compared with the standard arm (49% vs. 72%, P=0.03). In the multivariate analysis, the risk of oral mucositis was related only to the type of chemotherapy regimen, suggesting that further strategies for preventing oral mucositis could be mainly based on these criteria.

Cancer incidence among children in France, 1990-1999.

BACKGROUND: Cancer is the second most important cause of death for children aged less than 15 years in France, unintentional injuries being the leading cause. The aim of the present study was to estimate the incidence of childhood cancer from six Childhood Cancer Registries covering 32% of France. PROCEDURE: Incident cancer cases diagnosed between 1990 and 1999 in children (0-14 years) resident in the administrative areas covered by each Registry were included. Annual age-standardized rates (ASRs) were adjusted by the world population. The estimated annual percent change (EAPC) was used to measure trend towards changes in the annual age-standardized incidence rate. RESULTS: With 4234 registered cases, the ASRs per million children were 137.5 for all cancers combined, 42.3 for leukemia, 29.1 for central-nervous-system tumors, 15.6 for lymphomas, 14.1 for sympathetic-nervous-system tumors, and 9.1 for renal tumors. The ASR of all cancers combined was slightly higher in males (145.8 per million children) than in females (128.7 per million children) with an M/F ratio of 1.2. No significant incidence trend was observed, with an EAPC of +0.2% [IC 95% (-2.5; +3.0); P = 0.89]. CONCLUSIONS: The estimated incidence rates are similar to those reported in previous studies in European and North American countries. These results will contribute to the development of National Registration of Childhood Cancer in France and support the national research program on childhood cancer.

Validation of the French version of the Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire (CHAQ) in juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

OBJECTIVES: To translate, cross-culturally adapt, and validate the functional disability tool Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire (CHAQ), a variant of the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). CHILDREN AND METHODS: The disability index is the mean of the scores on the eight domains of the CHAQ and can range from 0 (no disability) to 3 (maximum disability). The CHAQ was first translated into French and adapted, then validated in a multicenter cross-sectional study in 306 children with JIA (systemic onset, 23%; polyarticular onset, 22%; extended oligoarticular subtype, 25%; and persistent oligoarticular subtype, 30%). RESULTS: Overall CHAQ scores discriminated between the four JIA subtypes (systemic: 1.1 +/- 0.9; polyarticular: 0.8 +/- 0.7, extended oligoarticular 0.8 +/- 0.7, and persistent oligoarticular: 0.4 +/- 0.5 [P < 0.0001]). Reproducibility evaluated by test-retest at a 7-day interval was excellent (intraclass coefficient, 0.91), as was agreement between the Parent's and Children's versions of the questionnaire (intraclass coefficient, 0.89). Significant correlations were found between the overall CHAO score and variables reflecting disease severity (joint counts, physician's and parent's global assessments, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate), indicating excellent convergent validity of the tool. CONCLUSION: The French version of the CHAQ displays good psychometric characteristics, although its sensitivity to change remains to be established. The French version of the CHAO should prove useful in international studies and can be expected to be helpful for monitoring individual patients with JIA.

Successful extracorporeal photochemotherapy for chronic graft-versus-host disease in pediatric patients.

A total of 254 extracorporeal photochemotherapy (ECP) procedures were performed in 8 children (median age 10 years; range 5-15) with extensive resistant chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). ECP was carried out in the pediatric environment using a Cobe Spectra separator and UV-MATIC irradiator. A peripheral venous with a single-lumen permanent central catheter access (69% of ECP-apheresis) or a dual-lumen permanent central catheter access (26% of ECP-apheresis) were used preferentially. A median platelet decrease of 17% (0-71) (p = 0.0001) and median hemoglobin level decrease of 15 g/L (0-31)(p = 0.0001) were noted following each ECP-apheresis. However, none of the patients had profound thrombocytopenia or anemia. Two minor episodes of catheter related-bacteriemia (Staphylococcus aureus) were noted (2310 catheter-days). A negative correlation was found between lymphocyte collection efficacy (median = 38%) and pre ECP-apheresis lymphocyte count (r = 0.4, p = 0.00001). The median of 5 x 10(7) lymphocytes/kg (0.1-50.10(7)/kg) was irradiated in each procedure. All patients are alive and well, and 7/8 experienced a dramatic improvement in their cutaneous status. Liver and gut disease resolved completely in 4/6 and 5/5 patients, respectively. In all patients, a concomitant immunosuppressive therapy was stopped (5/8) or considerably reduced (3/8). Five patients with more than 2 years follow-up after discontinuation of ECP are in remission with no immunosuppression treatment. They have normal growth rates and normal school and sport activity. Our study shows that ECP is beneficial, well tolerated, and can be safely used for chronic GVHD treatment even in young children with low body weight and a poor performance status. We believe that having a dedicated pediatric environment together with an experienced, motivated, and specifically pediatric team is of crucial importance for improving patient's acceptance of this long-term therapeutic program.

Familial isolated congenital asplenia: a rare, frequently hereditary dominant condition, often detected too late as a cause of overwhelming pneumococcal sepsis. Report of a new case and review of 31 others.

UNLABELLED: Congenital isolated asplenia may arise as a minor form of situs abnormalities or result from an unrelated specific defect of spleen development. It is a rare life-threatening condition and pneumococcal sepsis is often the first sign of the disease. We report on the case of a deceased 11-month-old girl and her father who developed recurrent pneumococcal meningitis. The fatal evolution in the girl was due to Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 23 with intermediate penicillin sensitivity 4 h after amoxicillin (100 mg/kg i.v.) administration. Establishing the diagnosis of congenital isolated asplenia in the case of pneumococcal sepsis can be achieved by performing two easy and non-invasive investigations: searching for Howell-Jolly bodies on blood smears and performing ultrasound examination of the abdomen to look for the spleen. In the case of congenital isolated asplenia, use of appropriate prophylaxis could save the lives of affected children. Our review of the literature yielded 31 cases of congenital isolated asplenia. Thirteen were sporadic and 18 were familial cases involving eight families. CONCLUSION: in the case of Streptococcus pneumoniae sepsis, a systematic search for Howell-Jolly bodies on blood smears and ultrasound examination of the abdomen for the presence of asplenia should be mandatory to detect isolated congenital asplenia. If asplenia is found, potentially life-saving antibiotic prophylaxis and pneumococcal vaccination should be initiated.

Impact of addition of maintenance therapy to intensive induction and consolidation chemotherapy for childhood acute myeloblastic leukemia: results of a prospective randomized trial, LAME 89/91. Leucámie Aiqüe Myéloïde Enfant.

PURPOSE: To determine whether the use of maintenance therapy (MT) delivered after intensive induction and consolidation therapy confers any advantage in childhood acute myeloid leukemia (AML). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 268 children with AML were registered in the Leucámie Aiquë Myéloïde Enfant (LAME) 89/91 protocol. This regimen included an intensive induction phase (mitoxantrone plus cytarabine) and, for patients without allograft, two consolidation courses, one containing timed-sequential high-dose cytarabine, asparaginase, and amsacrine. In the LAME 89 pilot study, patients were given an additional MT consisting of mercaptopurine and cytarabine for 18 months. In the LAME 91 trial, patients were randomized to receive or not receive MT. RESULTS: A total of 241 (90%) of 268 patients achieved a complete remission. The overall survival and event-free survival at 6 years were 60% +/- 6% and 48% +/- 6%, respectively. For the complete responders after consolidation therapy, the 5-year disease-free survival was not significantly different in MT-negative and in MT-positive randomized patients (respectively, 60% +/- 19% v 50% +/- 15%; P =.25), whereas the 5-year overall survival was significantly better in MT-negative randomized patients (81% +/- 13% v 58% +/- 15%; P =.04) due to a higher salvage rate after relapse. CONCLUSION: More than 50% of patients can be cured of AML in childhood. Either drug intensity or each of the induction and postremission phases may have contributed to the outstanding improvement in outcome. Low-dose MT is not recommended. Exposure to this low-dose MT may contribute to clinical drug resistance and treatment failure in patients who experience relapse.

Bilateral anophthalmia and oesophageal atresia in a newborn female: a new case of the anophthalmia-oesophageal-genital (AEG) syndrome.

A newborn female is described with bilateral anophthalmia and oesophageal atresia. This is the seventh reported case of the Anophthalmia-Oesophageal-Genital (AEG) syndrome.