Maura Massimino

..Despite improved diagnostic, therapeutic, and supportive tools in pediatric neuro-oncology, little has been achieved for patients with diffuse pontine tumors...

..We centrally reviewed medulloblastoma cases from past 10 years reassessing their histology to ascertain its prognostic significance...

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..Supratentorial primitive neuroectodermal tumors (S-PNET) are rare and have a grim prognosis, frequently taking an aggressive course with local relapse and metastatic spread. We report the results of a mono-institutional therapeutic trial...

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..Hence, our study was launched in 1998 to evaluate the protective effect of TSH suppression during CSI for medulloblastoma/primitive neuroectodermal tumor...

..Sequential and high-dose chemotherapy can be afforded in front-line therapy of childhood malignant glioma without excessive morbidity and rather encouraging results...

..The aim of this study is to outline the possibility of a conservative approach (hemithyroidectomy plus selective neck dissection of clinically involved nodes, followed by TSH-suppressive therapy) in a selected group of patients...

..A postsurgical "stage-based" protocol for ependymoma was designed...

..Increasing numbers of children are being cured of cancers by treatments that include radiation also involving the thyroid bed: these children warrant an early diagnosis and treatment of any radiation-related thyroid changes...

..New protocols under evaluation include new agents with specific biological targets, multiple cycles of high-dose chemotherapy, and vaccination, as an immunotherapeutic approach...

..We describe possible neurological and oncological implications of this unusual side effect, until now not reported in any other series dealing with vinorelbine as adjuvant treatment...

..The occurrence of this rare tumor located primarily in the spine warrants attention in pathological studies of spinal tumors in young patients...

..To discuss the results obtained by giving adjuvant treatment for childhood ependymoma (EPD) at relapse after complete surgery only...

..Myeloablative regimens were frequently used for medulloblastoma relapsing after craniospinal irradiation (CSI): in 1997-2002, we used repeated surgery, standard-dose and myeloablative chemotherapy, and reirradiation...

..It is, however, still doubtful if better responses translate into improved outcome and which patients can have a true beneficial from this treatment strategy...

..023), with three-year PFS and OS rates of 70 and 100%, respectively. Lower doses of cisplatin/etoposide are still effective in progressive low-grade glioma, with less acute and persistent morbidity...

..EXPERT OPINION: We recommend considering this combination in the armamentarium against DIPG. It might be improved by adding other target drugs/low-toxicity chemotherapy regimens with a synergistic effect with the anti-EGFR component...

..009). TSH suppression could have a protective effect on thyroid function as shown in a small group of patients with HL...

..Second-look surgery for tumor remnants may be less harmful and enable complete removal. There is a potential, although still unclear, role for neoadjuvant chemotherapy in preparation for further surgery...

..We treated 41 children under the age of 3 years with intracranial ependymoma between 1994 and 2003...

..With a view to improving the prognosis for patients with metastatic medulloblastoma, we tested the efficacy and toxicity of a hyperfractionated accelerated radiotherapy (HART) regimen delivered after intensive sequential chemotherapy...

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..Brain necrosis or other subacute iatrogenic reactions has been recognized as a potential complication of radiotherapy (RT), although the possible synergistic effects of high-dose chemotherapy and RT might have been underestimated...

..We report on a large group of 182 patients younger than 18 years old treated at a single institution over a 25-year period...

..To improve the 63% event-free survival (EFS) achieved before 1986 in Murphy's stage III to IV Burkitt's lymphoma (BL), both chemotherapy and supportive care were intensified...

..Thanks to improvements in radiotherapy techniques and chemotherapy efficacy, meningeal prophylaxis is no longer necessary. Although more evidence is needed to confirm our data, the results obtained with twice-daily HART seem promising...

..Since pediatric PTCs proved highly responsive to hormone manipulation, it is worth considering a different therapeutic approach from adult cases...

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..Studies addressing the psychological aspects of limb amputation in childhood cancer are still relatively limited, and the results have sometimes been contradictory...

..The location of the pediatric unit within a cancer referral center and the cooperation with divisions dedicated to adults have played an important role in the project's creation...

..This study aims to describe the clinical features and outcome of pediatric patients with head and neck rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), which can be divided into parameningeal, orbital, or nonorbital, nonparameningeal...

..To assess the psychological needs of parents after the death of their child from cancer...

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..EPE chemotherapy seems to be effective in the treatment of childhood malignant liver tumors. Etoposide could be suggested as part of intensive multidrug regimens for HCC and high-risk HB...

..As neuroblastoma is rare in adolescents and exceedingly rare in adults, few series are reported in the literature. In the present study, we analyzed the outcomes and clinical characteristics of a mono-institutional series...

..A conservative approach is the best option in children, while adolescent NSGCTT behaves like the adult disease and management must include similar treatment strategies...

..Confirmation of these excellent efficacy and feasibility results by larger, multicentre and prospective studies is warranted...

..The authors reviewed their institutional experience regarding adult patients with Wilms' tumor (WT) to assess their clinical characteristics and compliance with respect to children's treatment guidelines...

..The aim of this study was to avoid radiotherapy and to induce an objective response in children with low-grade glioma (LGG) using a simple chemotherapy regimen based on cisplatin and etoposide...

..Here we discuss the advantages of an unconventional rehabilitation technique, the recently reported mirror therapy, whose positive effects might be due, according to some researchers, to neuronal plasticity mechanisms...

..To examine the adaptive functioning of children who underwent surgery for brain tumours with a view to analyse the related acute impairments and to describe their short-term outcome...

..Experience drawn from pediatric oncology might suggest an approach based on a physician-patient relationship that could provide the means for identifying patients' psychological needs and problems...

..An additional aim was to assess whether any correlation between the immune modifications and the clinical outcome could be found...

..Ifosfamide is currently used to treat pediatric sarcomas and increasing its dosage may be associated with a better response rate. Prolonged continuous infusion seems an attractive administration modality...

..Coping with end-stage pediatric cancer patients and the related bereavement is a challenge for all the caregivers involved...

..Both patients remained alive and disease-free, without having had surgical procedures except for biopsies. Platinum-based chemotherapy is able to achieve complete remissions and should be considered for vaginal endodermal sinus tumors...

..At variance with adults, presence of the tall cell morphology did not carry a worst prognostic significance...

..This study investigates the psychological status in a population of female patients who received chest irradiation for a childhood cancer and were screened for second primary breast cancer...

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..Vinca alkaloids have proved active against a number of pediatric malignancies. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of using vinorelbine in previously treated pediatric patients with advanced sarcomas...

..To assess the occurrence of breast cancer (BC) after exposure to ionizing radiation for pediatric cancer, by means of a multimodal screening program...

..CONCLUSION:. Our sending flowers with a handwritten condolence letter is a simple gesture that seems to have helped both the patients' families and the members of our care-providing team in the process of mourning...

..The study compares the outcome of paediatric patients with adult-type soft tissue sarcomas with that reported for adults, taking into account the effect of established prognostic factors...

..Moreover RIGs seem to be a heterogeneous group of tumors that may resemble either primary or secondary GBM...

..For high-risk patients, with residual tumor, an interesting, although experimental, approach could be chemotherapy followed by secondary surgery and postoperative conformal irradiation...

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..The specific issues relating to the psychopathological diagnosis in the course of organic disease are discussed and aspects of behavior determined by biological mechanisms directly related to the disease and care...

..Hematologic toxicity was not related to TMZ AUC. AUC measurement does not appear to be of any use in optimizing TMZ treatment...

..To underline the importance of Environmental Factors for reducing Disability and to demonstrate the complex condition of life, especially in terms of social inclusion and participation for children and adolescents affected by brain tumour...

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..This is the first study of hABH2 and hABH3 in pediatric brain tumors; further molecular investigations of their mutations and expression may help determine their role in response to chemotherapy...

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..There are few reports, however, on the "in-vivo" induction of edema and symptomatic inflammatory lesions during replacement therapy...

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..This article describes a few such tumors and points to the need for forms of international cooperation with a view to gaining a better understanding of these particular conditions and improving patient management...

..To the best of our knowledge, this is the second report of a patient with tuberous sclerosis who developed a WT, and it represents the first case in which a detailed clinical and molecular description is provided...

..To delineate clinically relevant molecular signatures of intracranial ependymoma...

..One of the promising ALK-targeted therapeutic options is cancer vaccination. In this study, we investigate whether ALK is a tumor-associated antigen suitable for immune interventions...

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..In 4 of 6 evaluable children school performance was satisfactory. One child in whom the entire CNS was irradiated developed glioblastoma multiforme 120 months after the first diagnosis of medulloblastoma...

..The different T-cell receptor rearrangement evidenced in the two tumors indicates that this second malignancy most likely emerged de novo, but was plausibly related to the previous radiation and chemotherapy...

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..The high proportion of resectable tumors accounts for the excellent survival of the patients in this study. The role of both adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy is uncertain and awaits multicentric cooperative prospective studies...

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..She remained alive in continuous complete remission at 21 months after diagnosis. The case here reported is unique for age, tumor presentation, and, so far, favourable outcome, in spite of the delayed histological diagnosis...

..We investigated the clinical implications of the new system by comparing it with the 4th edition in a cohort of pediatric undifferentiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma (UNPC)...

..The high-dose chemotherapy adopted in the second program enabled a proportion of patients to obtain long-term survival but, since the clinical results remain unsatisfactory, new treatment strategies are warranted...

..The multifactorial origin of such cognitive impairments is discussed. This type of study needs to be repeated in larger, but nonetheless carefully selected groups of patients...

..CONCLUSIONS: MOGCT are highly chemosensitive and curable, with preservation of reproductive function. The management of recurrent disease remains an open issue...

..This study details the clinical and pathological characteristics of bone lymphomas. Our immunohistochemical and molecular data suggest that most of them are "de novo" DLBCL and support their follicle center origin...

..This article reports a 10-year-old girl who underwent surgery for a left parietal lesion misinterpreted as a glioblastoma which subsequently proved to be a case of giant plaque...

..In this case surgicopathological assessment is crucial and mandatory...

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..The role of surgery for this tumor is limited nowadays, except for surgical emergencies, biopsies, and second-look surgery in selected cases...

..Cognitive impairment occurs after malignant brain tumor treatment in children, following brain radiotherapy and systemic and intrathecal chemotherapy...

..We conclude that these two markers, and mostly betahCG, may be useful in the diagnosis and monitoring of the response to therapy of patients with intracranial germ cell tumors...

..7%. These results emphasize that oral etoposide is an attractive option for childhood recurrent ependymomas in terms of administration, tolerability, and neuroradiologic response...

..Metastatic ependymoma is exceedingly rare at diagnosis with variable prognosis reported in the literature. The purpose of this study was to identify prognostic factors in children with metastatic ependymoma...

..These findings are relevant as they point out the long-term outcome of brain tumor survivors. Hence, the recommendation to diversify psychological interventions and rehabilitation plans according to the patients' age...

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