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There is a substantial difference in observed survival among children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in high‐income countries versus those in low‐ and middle‐income countries. This gap can be reduced considerably by multilevel investing in health systems and services with innovative frameworks such as implementation science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Obesity compromises survival in children with cancer in high-income countries (HICs) and is accompanied often by sarcopenia. In low and middle-income countries (LMICs), where the great majority of children live, the prevalence of under-nutrition is as high as 95% in those with cancer. Nutritional support improves clinical outcomes, including survival.Areas covered: This narrative review describes the evolution of attention to nutrition in children with cancer and the increasing understanding of this relationship. An initial focus on obesity in children with acute leukemias in HICs has been matched more recently by a recognition of the negative effect of under-nutrition on survival in children with cancer in LMICs. These observations have stimulated explorations of underlying mechanisms, including dysbiosis of the gut microbiome, and structured nutritional interventions to redress adverse outcomes.Expert opinion: Studies of the gut microbiome and metabolome have yielded important information on the pathogenesis of malnutrition in children, providing new avenues for interventions. Combinations of plant products that are inexpensive and readily available in LMICs have been shown to 'mature' the microbiome and the corresponding plasma proteome in children with acute malnutrition, offering the prospect of cost-effective remedies that are tested in children with cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While meeting conventional thresholds for cost‐effectiveness, the care of children with cancer in low and middle‐income countries is compromised by limited access to affordable medicines of high quality. Survival prospects are constrained further by high rates of abandonment of therapy, which are linked to socioeconomic disadvantage and the financial toxicity experienced by families in the care of their children with malignant disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The late effects of treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) include disordered body composition, especially obesity. Less attention has been focused on the loss of skeletal muscle mass (SMM) and the combined morbidity of sarcopenic obesity.Methods: A cross-sectional study of body composition was undertaken via dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry in 75 long-term survivors of ALL (more than 10 years after the diagnosis). Measures were obtained of the fat mass (FM), fat-free mass (equivalent to the lean body mass [LBM]), and whole-body bone mineral content. Health-related quality of life (HRQL) was measured with the Health Utilities Index.Results: The sum of the FM, LBM, and whole-body bone mineral content matched the total body weight measured directly (r = 0.998). The appendicular lean mass (ALM) was derived from the LBM in all 4 limbs and accounted for approximately 75% of the SMM. According to the fat mass index (FMI; ie, FM/height2 ), 12% of females and 18% of males were frankly obese by World Health Organization criteria. The median FMI z score was + 0.40, whereas the median z score for the appendicular lean mass index (ALMI; ie, ALM/height2 ) was -0.40. Sarcopenic obesity, defined as a positive FMI z score with a negative ALMI z score, was present in 32 subjects (43%). There were statistically significant and clinically important differences in overall HRQL between subjects with and without sarcopenic obesity.Conclusions: Sarcopenic obesity is prevalent in long-term survivors of ALL, and this places them in double jeopardy from excess body fat and inadequate SMM (eg, a combination of metabolic and frailty syndromes). It is associated with an adverse impact on overall HRQL. Cancer 2018;124:1225-31. © 2017 American Cancer Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: There are few publications reporting health-related quality of life (HRQL) in developing nations. Most instruments measuring HRQL have been developed in English-speaking countries. These instruments need to be culturally adapted for use in non-English-speaking countries. The HUI2 and HUI3 are generic, preference-based systems for describing health status and HRQL. Developed in Canada, the systems have been translated into more than a dozen languages and used worldwide in hundreds of studies of clinical and general populations.Methods: The Brazilian-Portuguese translation of the HUI systems was supervised by senior HUInc staff having experience with both the HUI systems and translations. The process included two independent forward translations of the multi-attribute health status classification systems and related questionnaires, consensus between translators on a forward translation, back-translation by two independent translators of the forward translation, and review of the back-translations by original developers of the HUI. The final questionnaires were tested by surveying a sample of convenience of 50 patients recruited at the Centro de Tratamento e Pesquisa-Hospital do Cancer in São Paulo, Brazil.Results: Fifty patients were enrolled in the study. No assessor, patient or nurse or physician, reported problems answering the HUI questionnaires. No significant differences were found in mean overall HUI2 or HUI3 utility scores among types of assessors. Variability in scores are similar to those from other studies in Latin America and Canada.Conclusion: Test results provide preliminary evidence that the Brazilian-Portuguese translation is acceptable, understandable, reliable and valid for assessing health-status and HRQL among survivors of cancer in childhood in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The purpose of this narrative review is to examine the information available on the nutritional status of children with leukemia in low and middle income countries (LMICs), where the great majority of them live and malnutrition is prevalent, in order to identify best practices and remaining deficits in knowledge. Methods: Literature relevant to measurement of nutritional status and the impact of nutritional status on important clinical outcomes in this population, and others of relevance, was reviewed. Results: Arm anthropometry provides more accurate information on nutritional status than measures based on body weight in children with cancer. Both over- and under-nutrition are important determinants of tolerance of chemotherapy, compliance with treatment, relapse of disease, and survival. These relationships are subject to change with nutritional intervention. There are valuable roles for educational tools and ‘ready-to-use-therapeutic-foods’. Discussion: Assessment of nutritional status is mandatory in this population and accomplishable at various levels of sophistication according to available resources. Recognition of the fundamental role of nutritional status in affecting outcomes in children with leukemia is expanding, but knowledge gaps remain. An apparently counter-intuitive strategy of caloric restriction may be worthy of exploration. There is a particular need to establish normative data, including measures of body composition, in children in LMICs. Conclusions: Developing adaptive clinical practice guidelines for the measurement of nutritional status and for nutritional interventions, incorporating assessment of health-related quality of life, are evident priorities in the care of children with leukemia in LMICs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose: In Canada, adolescent survivors of cancer are treated mainly at pediatric centers, while young adults are treated at adult centers. Both care environments are reported as being inappropriate and do not fulfill the needs of adolescents and young adults (AYA). The purpose of this study was to investigate supportive care needs (SCN) of AYA survivors of cancer. Methods: Qualitative description and a systematic literature review (SLR) were used to explore this topic. For the qualitative study, a purposive sample of AYA survivors (15 to 25 years of age) was recruited from a pediatric and an adult cancer program in one area of Ontario, Canada. Interviews were conducted, recorded digitally, and transcribed verbatim. Line-by-line coding was used to establish themes and subthemes. The SLR entailed a systematic search of electronic databases from their date of inception to October 2011. Two screeners worked independently to screen abstracts, titles, and relevant full-text articles. Findings from both studies were synthesized. Results: Twenty interviews were conducted for the qualitative study. For the SLR, 760 citations were identified, of which 12 met inclusion criteria. The most commonly reported SCN, from both studies, were social needs, information sharing and communication needs, and service provision needs. Conclusion: Comparison of findings from both studies reveals many overlapping (e.g., entertainment for teens) and novel (e.g., collaboration) themes. Study results will be used to inform the potential development of a comprehensive healthcare program for AYA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives A diagnosis of cancer in childhood places a considerable economic burden on families, although costs are not well described. The objectives of this study were to identify and determine independent predictors of the direct and time costs incurred by such families. Methods A prospective, cost-of-illness study was conducted in families of children newly diagnosed with cancer. Parents recorded the resources consumed and costs incurred during 1 week per month for three consecutive months beginning the fourth week following diagnosis and listed any additional costs incurred since then. Descriptive and multiple regression analyses were performed to describe families' costs (expressed in 2007 Canadian dollars) and to determine direct and time cost predictors. Results In total, 28 fathers and 71 mothers participated. The median total direct and time costs in 3 months were $CAD3503 and $CAD23 130, respectively, per family. The largest component of direct costs was travel and of time costs was time allocated previously for unpaid activities. There were no statistically significant predictors of direct costs. Six per cent of the variance for time costs was explained by language spoken at home. Conclusions Families of children with cancer are confronted with a wide range of direct and time costs, the largest being travel and time allocated previously for unpaid activities. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the study which compared the correlation of proxy reporting of health-related quality of life (HRQL) by the parents and nurses of children with Hodgkin disease. It indicates that the Canadian children's Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) generic scores increased at the end of the study except during inpatient chemotherapy. It implies that nurses contributed valuable information as proxy respondents regarding the quality of life for children with Hodgkin disease.

Treatment of cancer in childhood is an expensive undertaking for the health-care system and for the affected families. As there is a substantial burden of treatment-related morbidity, it is important to determine whether the effects of treatment are worth these monetary costs, especially from a societal perspective. Economic evaluation affords a comparison of the costs and consequences (effects) of relevant therapeutic alternatives. Preference-based measures of health-related quality of life are particularly useful for assessing the effects of treatment, for these tools integrate mortality and morbidity. These measures provide utility scores that can be used as weights on survival data to compute quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). Costs are incurred both within and outside of the health-care system. The former should include those in front-line patient care departments (e.g. nursing); the pro-rated share of the expenses of service departments (e.g. materials management) to those in the front line; and the fully allocated costs for capital invested in lands, building and equipment. The latter are costs borne by families that are both out-of-pocket (e.g. for over-the-counter drugs) as well as related to time spent in providing care, which may involve foregone income. Costs and consequences should be subject to discounting; a process for converting those items incurred in the future into contemporary equivalents. Economic evaluation provides estimates of incremental discounted costs per discounted QALY gained. By almost any interpretative standard this appears attractive with respect to cancer in childhood. Examples are provided with the encouragement that economic evaluation be undertaken in more clinical trials in paediatric oncology. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

It is a particular pleasure to have the comments from colleagues at the Tata Memorial Hospital (TMH) in Mumbai, for we have a long-standing and continuing collaboration with members of the Division of Pediatric Oncology at TMH in the realms of education and research. The Division of Pediatric Oncology at TMH is a partner in the International Initiative in Pediatrics and Nutrition (IIPAN) which is based at Columbia University in New York. The SIOP PODC Nutrition Working Group and IIPAN share a common vision, that no child with cancer should die as a result of the failure of caregivers to redress malnutrition[[5]]. [Extracted from the article]

As is increasingly being recognized, the needs of adolescents and young adults (AYA) with cancer are poorly met met by the conventional dichotomy of the pediatric and adult health care systems, resulting in delays in diagnosis, low participation rates in clinical trials, lack of age-appropriate care, concerns about social support during therapy, and long-term psychosocial and other challenges in survivorship. It is the authors' firm belief that the deliberations at the workshop and its attendant activities will be informative and useful for colleagues beyond Canada as the network of communication in AYA oncology continues to grow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study that focuses on the clinical implications of malnutrition in children with cancer. Topics discussed include categorization of children's nutritional status on the basis of arm anthropometry, use of body mass index as an indicator of nutritional status in children with cancer and restoration of good survival prospects for children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Abstract: Aim of the study: To determine the Health Related Quality of Life (HRQL) in a population-based cohort of long-term survivors of childhood cancer in Piedmont, northwestern Italy. Patients and methods: During 2003, a 15-item Health Utilities Index questionnaire was mailed to 1005 5-year survivors, identified from the population-based Childhood Cancer Registry of Piedmont, to derive scores for overall HRQL and for eight single attributes of health. Score differences were estimated as adjusted prevalence odds ratios. Results: A large majority of long-term survivors had moderately high scores for overall HRQL and for each of the single attributes. Males reported better overall HRQL and less morbidity with respect to dexterity, emotion and pain than females. Survivors diagnosed when they were 10–14 years of age had better overall HRQL and less morbidity with respect to emotion, cognition and pain than younger persons. Long-term survivors of central nervous system (CNS) tumours, retinoblastoma and bone tumours had greater impairment of overall HRQL, vision, ambulation, dexterity, cognition and pain than survivors of other forms of cancer. Conclusion: Many survivors of childhood cancer in Piedmont had fairly good overall HRQL. Greater probability of impaired HRQL was seen for females, survivors of CNS tumours, retinoblastoma and bone tumours, and persons diagnosed before 10 years of age. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Osteonecrosis (ON) is recognised increasingly as a complication of the treatment of cancer in children and adolescents. It is especially prevalent among survivors of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, in whom as many as 1/3 may be affected, likely reflecting the cumulative exposure to glucocorticosteroid therapy. The pathogenesis is complex and includes suppression of bone formation, expansion of the intra-medullary lipocyte compartment and a direct effect on nutrient arteries. Children ⩾10 years of age are at particular risk and the disorder is substantially more common in Whites than in Blacks. Genetic predispositions have been identified. ON is often multi-articular and bilateral, affecting weight-bearing joints predominantly. Surgical management options are of concern in young growing subjects, although injection of autologous marrow into affected sites offers promising results. Other novel approaches include the use of anti-resorptive drugs and strategies for prevention, such as with lipid-lowering agents, are being explored. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Objectives: We described previously the development of a set of quality indicators (QIs) of a childhood cancer system in Ontario, Canada. The purpose of this study was to determine the acceptability of the proposed set of QIs among stakeholders of the childhood cancer system. Methods: A modified Delphi method was used to assess stakeholder agreement on the value of the proposed QIs. A QI evaluation survey was mailed to a stakeholder group of 23 multidisciplinary health care providers, survivors, parents, and policymakers who rated each QI on specific criteria. Prior to an in-person consensus meeting, the distribution of scores was provided to panel members. At the meeting, QIs were reevaluated and discussed in three successive rounds. QIs with 80% or more of panel agreement were considered endorsed. Results: Overall, 20 QIs were endorsed by the panel, measuring all seven quality dimensions of Ontario’s Cancer System Quality Index framework. Five QIs were endorsed by 100% of the panel as follows: Five-year event-free survival, chemotherapy admission delay, drug availability, sufficient multidisciplinary staff, and parent satisfaction. Although none of the QIs relating to end-of-life or Satellite care were endorsed, panel members emphasized the need to measure these components of the system. Conclusions: Standardized implementation of the 20 pediatric cancer QIs endorsed by the multidisciplinary stakeholder panel will provide ongoing monitoring of various dimensions of system quality and the development of benchmarks over time, greatly augmenting the ability to identify needed system improvements across populations and jurisdictions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Objectives: A set of indicators to assess the quality of a childhood cancer system has not been identified in any jurisdiction internationally, despite the movement toward increased accountability and provision of high-quality care with limited health care resources. This study was conducted to develop a set of quality indicators (QIs) of a childhood cancer control and health care delivery system in Ontario, Canada. Methods: A systematic review and targeted gray literature search were conducted to identify potential childhood cancer QIs. A series of investigator focus group sessions followed to review all QIs identified in the literature, and to generate a provisional QI set for a childhood cancer system. QIs were evaluated by three content experts in a sequential selection process on the basis of a series of criteria to select a subset for presentation to stakeholders. Following an appraisal of the relevance of quality assessment frameworks, remaining QIs were mapped onto the Cancer System Quality Index framework. Results: The systematic review yielded few relevant childhood cancer system QIs. Overall, 120 provisional QIs were developed by the investigator group. Based on median QI rating scores, representation across the childhood cancer continuum, and feasibility of data collection, a subset of 33 QIs was selected for stakeholder consideration. Conclusions: The subset of 33 QIs developed on the basis of a systematic literature review and consensus provides the basis for the selection of a set of QIs for ongoing, standardized monitoring of various dimensions of quality in a childhood cancer system. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Background: The prevalence of malnutrition in children may exceed 50% in countries with limited resources. The aims of this study were to assess nutritional status at diagnosis in children and adolescents with cancer, and to correlate it with clinical outcomes in the Spanish speaking countries of Central America that formed the AHOPCA (Asociacion de Hemato-Oncologia Pediatrica de Centro America) consortium. Methods: Patients aged 1–18years, diagnosed with cancer between 1st October 2004 and 30th September 2007, were eligible for study. Weight (kg) and height or length (m), mid upper arm circumference – MUAC and triceps skin fold thickness – TSFT were measured and their Z-scores or percentiles were calculated. Three categories of nutritional status were defined according to these parameters. Results: A total of 2954 new patients were enrolled; 1787 had all anthropometric measurements performed and 1513 also had measurements of serum albumin. By arm anthropometry 322/1787 patients (18%) had moderate nutritional depletion and 813/1787 patients (45%) were severely depleted. Adding serum albumin, the proportion classified as severely depleted rose to 59%. Malnourished children more often abandoned therapy and their event free survival was inferior to that of other children. Conclusions: Arm anthropometry in children with cancer is a sensitive measure of nutritional status. Since malnutrition at diagnosis was related to important clinical outcomes, an opportunity exists to devise simple, cost-effective nutritional interventions in such children that may enhance their prospects for survival. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Summary: Childhood cancer is a major global health issue. Every year, almost 100 000 children die from cancer before the age of 15 years, more than 90% of them in resource-limited countries. Here, we review the key policy issues for the delivery of better care, research, and education of professionals and patients. We present a key list of time-limited proposals focusing on change to health systems and research and development. These include sector and system reforms to make care affordable to all, policies to promote growth of civil society around both cancer and Millennium Development Goals, major improvements to public health services (particularly the introduction of national cancer plans), improved career development, and increased remuneration of specialist health-care workers and government support for childhood cancer registries. Research and development proposals focus on sustainable funding, the establishment of more research networks, and clinical research specifically targeted at the needs of low-income and middle-income countries. Finally, we present proposals to address the need for clinical trial innovation, the complex dichotomy of regulations, and the threats to the availability of data for childhood cancers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]