Tandem high-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation: An infant with trilateral retinoblastoma.

BACKGROUND: Retinoblastoma (RB) is the most common intraocular malignancy in childhood. Advanced RB, associated with exceedingly poor prognosis, requires more intensive multiagent chemotherapy than conventional regimens. Rescue of the bone marrow after intensive chemotherapy is achieved with stem cell transplantation. The sequential courses (tandem transplantation) of high-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation allow for even greater dose intensity in consolidation with the potential to use different active chemotherapeutics at each transplant and have proven feasible and successful in treating children with recurrent/refractory solid tumors. CASE DESCRIPTION: We report an infant with trilateral high-risk RB who received tandem high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) followed by autologous stem cell transplantation after the conventional chemotherapy. A 5-month-old female patient presented with strabismus, and the ophthalmoscopic examination showed intraocular tumoral lesions in both eyes. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) concluded the trilateral retinoblastoma diagnosis due to a tumoral mass in the optic chiasm. The follow-up ophthalmologic examinations and the MRI detected stable disease after six cycles of multiagent chemotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: Rescue with autologous stem cell transplantation after HDC allows for an increase in chemotherapy intensity. Tandem transplantation provides the chance to perform different chemotherapeutics at each transplant and enables an increase in the chemotherapy intensity, thus providing a positive effect on disease-free survival.

A comparison of hypersensitivity reactions between intravenous and intramuscular applications of native E. coli asparaginase in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

INTRODUCTION: Asparaginase is an indispensable drug in treating childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Hypersensitivity reactions (HSR) are the most common side effects and interfere with the antineoplastic activity of the drug. This study aims to compare the intramuscular (IM) and intravenous (IV) administration routes of Native Escherichia coli Lasparaginase (L-ASNase) in terms of hypersensitive reactions. METHODS: L-ASNase was randomly administered IV or IM to newly diagnosed ALL patients and HSR was monitored in all patients for 1 h following the end of the IV infusion and for 2 h following the end of the IM administration of L-ASNase. Based on a retrospective review of clinical charts, reactions were identified. In order to determine the severity of each allergic reaction, we used the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version 4.03 for allergic reactions. RESULTS: A total of 1032 doses of L-ASNase were administered to 85 patients (42 males and 43 females) during the study period. Among 85 patients, 30 reactions were recorded, which means that 35% of the patients reacted. According to the CTCAE, twenty-nine out of 30 reactions (97%) were grade 2, while one (3%) was grade 4. In terms of individual doses, there was a non-significant trend toward increased incidence of reactions with IV administration (3.8% versus 0.9%, p = 0.064). The rate of reactions was higher in patients who received all IV doses (n: 60) as compared to those who received all IM doses (n: 25) (31.7% vs. 3.5%; chi-square= 8.415, p value=0.04). Based on the risk groups and HSR incidence, it was found that high risk group (HRG) patients were significantly more likely to develop HSR compared to the standart risk group (SRG) and intermediate risk group (MRG) patients (chi-square p = 0.003, CI: 95%; odds ratio: 3.12 and 5.91, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, IM administration of L-ASNase causes significantly less HSR to L-ASNase than the IV route. Patients with HRGALL have a higher risk of HSR. Since L-ASNase is still used in many developing countries and there are problems in the supply of Erwinia chrysanthemi ASNase (Erwinia), LASNase can be administered IM to reduce the frequency of HSR.

Safety and efficacy of deferasirox in patients with transfusion-dependent thalassemia: A 4-year single-center experience.

This study was organized to determine the efficacy and safety of deferasirox (DFX) in reducing the SF of patients with transfusion-dependent thalassemia (TDT). This is a retrospective, descriptive study of 101 transfusion- dependent patients with thalassemia major who were followed for 48 months. Twenty-nine patients who used an alternative chelator either alone or combined, who were not compliant to the treatment, changed the drug due to adverse reactions, and had multiple transfusions and did not complete 4 years of DFX use were excluded. A total 72 out of 101 patients completed the study. SF decreases were noted for the 6-12 and >18-year age groups, from a median of 1532 ng/mL to 1190 ng/mL, and from 1386 ng/mL to 1165 ng/mL, respectively (p > 0.05). The proportion of patients with SF concentrations >2000 ng/mL is decreased (29% at baseline decreased to 15% at the end of the study) during the 48 months. The median SF of those who used <30 mg/kg/day (n = 38) increased from 767 ng/mL to 1006 ng/mL, whereas the >30 mg/kg/day (n = 34) group's SF concentrations decreased from a median of 1575 ng/mL to 1209 ng/mL (p = 0.029). The decrease of median SF values for Syrian patients was statistically significant (p = 0.043). Most common adverse events were gastric irritation symptoms (19.4%). The total DFX discontinuation ratio was calculated as 9.7%. Although dosages between 25-30 mg/kg/day are adequate to stabilize SF concentrations higher dosages are needed to achieve a statistically significant decrease.

Hemophilia Caregiver Burden in a Low Socioeconomic Region of Turkey.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate the caregiver burden of parents of hemophilia patients and related factors in the southeast region of Turkey, where access to a regular healthcare facility is more complicated than in other areas. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-six caregivers of patients with hemophilia were consecutively enrolled in this non-interventional study. Caregiver burden is measured using the "HemophiliaAssociated Caregiver Burden Scale" (HEMOCAB). RESULTS: Hemophilia affects 65.4% of caregivers emotionally, and 92.3% feel the burden caused by financial problems related to hemophilia. The perception of the patients by caregivers was negative in the groups of low educational degree and unstable employment status (P = .037 and P = .017, respectively). The employment status and job changes influence the caregiver burden because of hemophilia (P = .034 and P = .001, respectively). The groups of those who spent greater than 5 hours for transportation to the hemophilia treatment center (HTC) had a higher burden (P = .001). Multiple linear regression analysis analyzed variables affecting HEMOCAB, frequency, and burden total scores. The model created with the burden total score was statistically significant (P = .047). CONCLUSION: The main factors affecting caregiver burden were educational status, working conditions, and economic difficulties, as well as the length of infusion times and transfer to HTCs. There is a need to develop socioeconomic policies related to these problems.

The effect of biofilm inhibitor N-acetylcysteine on the minimum inhibitory concentration of antibiotics used in Gram-negative bacteria in the biofilm developed on catheters.

The study determined the effect of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on the susceptibility of various antibiotics used to treat Gram-negative catheter-related infection in isolates obtained from pediatric patients admitted to the hematology and oncology department of Medical Park Bahçelievler hospital in Istanbul, Turkey. Biofilms were created in vitro utilizing clinical isolates of Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Pseudomonas putida, and Proteus mirabilis. 24 h old biofilms were developed on 96-well plate with strains and the minimum biofilm inhibitory concentration (MBIC) of six antibiotics were measured before and after the addition of 75 mg/ml N-acetylcysteine with microplate reader at 450 nm after crystal violet assay. The addition of NAC reduce the MBIC of cefepime, ceftazidime, colistin, meropenem from (16, 16, 8, 4 µg/ml) to (8, 4, 4, 2 µg/ml) respectively in E. coli (isolate 1). In P. aeruginosa (isolate 4), the MBIC of amikacin, ceftazidime, meropenem (64, 32, and 32 µg/ml) reduced to (8, 1, and 0.5 µg/ml) respectively. MBIC of cefepime, colistin, meropenem (32, 16,and 16 µg/ml) reduced to (2, 2,and 0.5 µg/ml) respectively in P. putida (isolate 5). In P. mirabilis (isolate 6), MBIC of amikacin, cefepime, ceftazidime, colisitin and meropenem (64, 128, 32, 4, and 32 µg/ml) reduced to (8, 8, 1, 1, 4 µg/ml). NAC in combination therapy can practically reduce the MBIC of antibiotics used to treat Gram negative bacteria that develop biofilm in medical catheters. As a result, these combinations can be considered as an essential alternative for increasing the antibiotic susceptibility of pathogenic microorganisms and thus increasing treatment success rates.