Scientific production in a pediatric oncology unit: bibliometric and scientometric evaluation / Producción científica en una unidad de oncología pediátrica: evaluación bibliométrica y cientométrica / Produção científica em uma unidade de oncologia pediátrica: avaliação bibliométrica e cientométrica

This study aimed to analyze the scientific production carried out at the Pediatric Cancer Center (CPC) of the Albert Sabin Children's Hospital, searching in the Google Scholar, Pubmed, SciELO and LILACS databases and performing manual review of bibliographies of authors of found works. Approximately 400 records were found in Google Scholar, 9 records in the Pubmed database, 2 records in the SciELO database and 3 records in the LILACS database, in addition to 19 more works added manually. After eliminating duplicates and non-conformities,89 records of scientific productions carried out at the CPC remained. Bibliometric evaluation showed that these productions were cited together 569 times, with 89 citations occurring in 2022. Most of the scientific productions were published in peer-reviewed journals, followed by master's dissertations and doctoral theses. Most of the works were published in Portuguese, followed by English. The thematic analysis of the works showed that most of them addressed topics related to pediatric oncology, followed by works on palliative care and quality of life in children and adolescents with cancer. Most of the works were carried out in partnership with other institutions.

Este trabajo tuvo como objetivo analizar la producción científica realizada en el Centro Pediátrico del Cáncer (CPC) del Hospital Infantil Albert Sabin, buscando en las bases de datos de Google Académico, Pubmed, SciELO y LILACS y realizando una revisión manual de las bibliografías de autores de trabajos encontrados. Se encontraron alrededor de 400 registros en Google Académico, 9 registros en Pubmed, 2 registros en SciELO y 3 registros en LILACS, además de otros 19 trabajos añadidos manualmente. Después de excluir duplicados y no conformidades, quedaron 89 registros de producciones científicas realizadas en el CPC. La evaluación bibliométrica mostró que estas producciones fueron citadas en conjunto 569 veces, siendo que 89 citas ocurrieron en 2022. La mayor parte de las producciones científicas fue publicada en revistas revisadas por pares, seguida de disertaciones de maestría y tesis de doctorado. La mayor parte de los trabajos fue publicada en portugués, seguida del inglés. El análisis temático de los trabajos mostró que la mayoría abordó temas relacionados con la oncología pediátrica, seguida de trabajos sobre cuidados paliativos y calidad de vida en niños y adolescentes con cáncer. La mayor parte de los trabajos fue realizada en colaboración con otras instituciones.

Este trabalho teve como objetivo analisar a produção científica realizada no Centro Pediátrico do Câncer (CPC) do Hospital Infantil Albert Sabin, buscando-se nas bases de dados Google Acadêmico, Pubmed, SciELO e LILACS e realizando revisão manual de bibliografias de autores de trabalhos encontrados. Foram encontrados cerca de 400 registros no Google Acadêmico, 9 registros na base Pubmed, 2 registros na base SciELO e 3 registros na base LILACS, além de mais 19 trabalhos adicionados manualmente. Após exclusão de duplicidades e não conformidades, restaram 89 registros de produções científicas realizadas no CPC. A avaliação bibliométrica mostrou que essas produções foram citadas em conjunto 569 vezes, sendo que 89 citações ocorreram em 2022. A maior parte das produções científicas foi publicada em periódicos revisados por pares, seguida de dissertações de mestrado e teses de doutorado. A maior parte dos trabalhos foi publicada em português, seguida do inglês. A análise temática dos trabalhos mostrou que a maioria abordou temas relacionados à oncologia pediátrica, seguida de trabalhos sobre cuidados paliativos e qualidade de vida em crianças e adolescentes com câncer. A maior parte dos trabalhos foi realizada em parceria com outras instituições.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children and adolescents: prognostic factors and analysis of survival

To describe the clinical and laboratory features of children and adolescents with acute lymphoblastic leukemia treated at three referral centers in Ceará and evaluate prognostic factors for survival, including age, gender, presenting white blood cell count, immunophenotype, DNA index and early response to treatment.METHODS: Seventy-six under 19-year-old patients with newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukemia treated with the Grupo Brasileiro de Tratamento de Leucemia da Infância - acute lymphoblastic leukemia-93 and -99 protocols between September 2007 and December 2009 were analyzed. The diagnosis was based on cytological, immunophenotypic and cytogenetic criteria. Associations between variables, prognostic factors and response to treatment were analyzed using the chi-square test and Fisher's exact test. Overall and event-free survival were estimated by Kaplan-Meier analysis and compared using the log-rank test. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to identify independent prognostic factors.RESULTS: The average age at diagnosis was 6.3 ± 0.5 years and males were predominant (65%). The most frequently observed clinical features were hepatomegaly, splenomegaly and lymphadenopathy. Central nervous system involvement and mediastinal enlargement occurred in 6.6% and 11.8%, respectively. B-acute lymphoblastic leukemia was more common (89.5%) than T-acute lymphoblastic leukemia...

Treatment of children and adolescents with hemangioma using propranolol: preliminary results from a retrospective study.

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Hemangiomas are the commonest vascular tumors during childhood. In 2008, the effect of propranolol for treating capillary hemangiomas was demonstrated. Other similar results followed, showing that it rapidly reduces lesion volume. The objective here was to evaluate children and adolescents with hemangiomas that were treated with propranolol. DESIGN AND SETTING: Retrospective study, conducted in a children's hospital. METHODS: Patients aged 0-19 years with or without previous treatment, who were treated between January 2009 and December 2010, were included. The response was assessed by comparing the lesion appearance between the start of treatment and the last consultation. We considered partial or complete responses as the response to treatment. RESULTS: Sixty-nine patients with a median follow-up of 11 months (mean age: 31 months) were included. Of these, 58 patients were recently diagnosed and 11 had had previous treatment. A response (partial or complete) was seen in 60 patients (87%). Among the capillary hemangioma cases, responses were seen in 50 out of 53 (94%), while in other lesion types, it was 10 out of 16 (63%) (P = 0.3; chi-square). Responses in patients less than one year of age were seen in 37 out of 38 (97%), whereas in those over one year of age, in 23 out of 31 (74%) (P = 0.4; chi-square). Side effects were uncommon and mild. CONCLUSIONS: Propranolol seemed to be effective for treatment of hemangiomas in children and adolescents, and not just in the proliferative stage, with responses in almost all the patients.

Retrospective evaluation of the outcomes of children with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma treated with radiochemotherapy and valproic acid in a single center.

Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma is a pediatric oncologic disease with dismal prognosis and no effective treatment. Since 2007, our patients have been using valproic acid as prophylactic anticonvulsant. We have undertaken a retrospective study in order to evaluate the influence of valproate in the outcomes of children with this disease in our center. Patients were treated with weekly carboplatin and vincristine and received conformal radiotherapy, either concurrent or sequential. Event-free survival and overall survival of patients not treated with valproic acid were 6.5 and 7.8 months. Accelerated failure time model (a parametric multivariate regression test for time-to-failure data) showed a statistically significant superiority of the median event-free survival of treated patients (6.5 vs. 9.5 months in treated patients; HR 0.54-95 % CI 0.33-0.87; p < 0.05) and also of overall survival (7.8 vs. 13.4 months in treated patients; HR 0.60-95 % CI 0.37-0.98; p = 0.05).

Valproic acid: an anticonvulsant drug with potent antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory properties.

Valproic acid (VA) is a major antiepileptic drug, used for several therapeutic indications. It has a wide activity spectrum, reflecting on mechanisms of action that are not fully understood. The objectives of this work were to study the effects of VA on acute models of nociception and inflammation in rodents. VA (0.5, 1, 10, 25, and 50 mg/kg, p.o.) effects were evaluated on the carrageenan-induced paw edema, carrageenan-induced peritonitis, and plantar tests in rats, as well as by the formalin test in mice. The HE staining and immunohistochemistry assay for TNF-α in carrageenan-induced edema, from paws of untreated and VA-treated rats, were also carried out. VA decreased paw edema after carrageenan, and maximum effects were seen with doses equal to or higher than 10 mg/kg. VA also preserved the tissue architecture as assessed by the HE staining. Immunohistochemical studies revealed that VA significantly reduced TNF-α immunostaining in carrageenan-inflamed rat paws. In addition, the anti-inflammatory action of VA was potentiated by pentoxifylline (a phosphodiesterase inhibitor, known to inhibit TNF-α production), but not by sodium butyrate or by suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA), nonspecific and specific inhibitors, respectively, of histone deacetylase. However, the decrease in the number of positive TNF-α cells in the rat paw was drastically potentiated in the VA + SAHA associated group. VA also reduced leukocytes and myeloperoxidase (MPO) releases to the peritoneal exudate, in the carrageenan-induced peritonitis. Although in the formalin test, VA inhibited both phases, the inhibition was mainly on the second phase. Furthermore, VA significantly increased the reaction time to thermal stimuli, as assessed by the plantar test. VA is a multi-target drug, presenting potent antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory properties at a lower dose range. These effects are partly dependent upon its inhibitory action on TNF-α-related pathways. However, the participation of the HDAC inhibition with the VA anti-inflammatory action cannot be ruled out. Inflammatory processes are associated with free radical damage and oxidative stress, and their blockade by VA could also explain the present results.

Potential role for valproate in the treatment of high--risk brain tumors of childhood-results from a retrospective observational cohort study.

Although substantial progress has been made in pediatric brain tumor management, patients with brainstem tumors and high-grade gliomas, as well as patients less than 3 years of age with high-risk malignant tumors, have a poorer prognosis. The authors have been treating these patients with radiotherapy and standard carboplatin and vincristine chemotherapy. Since January 2007 the authors have been using valproate as anticonvulsant for prophylaxis. The authors performed a retrospective cohort analysis of pediatric patients with high-risk brain tumors treated with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and valproate prophylaxis, comparing this group with a historical control. The 2007-2008 group was comprised of 22 patients, 15 with brainstem tumors (7 diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma [DIPG], 3 focal, the remaining infiltrating with a solid portion), 4 with diencephalic tumors (2 thalamic), and 3 with supratentorial high-grade tumors (1 glioblastoma, 1 recurrent grade III ependymoma, 1 with gliomatosis). There were 15 patients alive (68%) after a mean follow-up time of 19 months. Survival function comparison by log rank test was highly significant (P = .004) with a hazard ratio of 0.31 (0.14-0.70). Radiological response showed 3 complete responses (14%), 8 partial responses (36%), 5 stable diseases (23%), and 5 progresssive diseases (23%). The authors hypothesize that valproate may have potentiated the antiangiogenic effect of vincristine, diminished expression of resistance to carboplatin, and sensitized tumor cells to radiotherapy. The authors suggest that clinical trials of carboplatin and vincristine associated with oral continuous low-dose valproate are indicated for pediatric patients with high-risk brain tumor.