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Each year approximately 35,000 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer in Europe. Five-year survival rates have improved and now reach 80% in most European countries, thanks to a combination of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery. To date, there are more than 44,000 Italians still living several years after being diagnosed with cancer in developmental age. The risk of premature morbidity and mortality for cancer survivors is well known and documented. Approximately 60% of survivors of cancer in childhood and adolescence have at least one chronic health condition in later life, and more than one in four develop severe or life-threatening disorders. Among the various long-term iatrogenic sequelae of cancer treatments, the most worrisome are second malignant neoplasms. We reported on our mono-institutional experiences of screening and treating secondary breast cancer, secondary thyroid cancer and secondary osteosarcoma. Recommendations on the surveillance needed for cancer survivors because of the risk of late effects of their disease or its treatment suggest that discussing the potential problems early on can be crucial to a patient’s future health. These considerations and our consolidated experience strengthen our conviction that survivors of cancer in childhood and adolescence who develop second malignant neoplasms should be treated at highly-specialized centers. Multidisciplinary care requires close communications and high levels of up-to-date professional expertise. This challenging area of health care is also changing rapidly because cancer survivorship is a work in progress, but we cannot wait for definitive conclusions on many aspects because this will take decades, especially for pediatric patients.

This article describes a creative project undertaken by a group of adolescent and young adult patients with cancer as part of the Milan’s Youth Project, a scheme dedicated to young patients with cancer with the dual aim of optimizing medical aspects of their care and promoting a holistic approach to their needs. The project was based on audio recordings and focused on the theme of “the journey,” such as a holiday or an adventure, or as a metaphor of the cancer experience. The podcast installments were published on the main streaming platforms. Talking about their disease and how they feel is of importance for young patients to process their feelings surrounding the cancer experience and to find the inner resources they need to facilitate coping.

Background: Cancer diagnosis and related treatment can limit young patients’ privacy. Their need for private physical and psychological spaces can be impeded by limited freedom, e.g., sharing hospital rooms with others and exposing their body to their parents and doctors.Methods: We conducted a survey among young patients of our center to investigate how their perception of privacy changed after being diagnosed with cancer and their need for hospital dedicated physical spaces and time for patients to enjoy their privacy. A questionnaire with 16 items was developed by the staff involving psychologists and physicians. The relevance of changes before and after the cancer diagnosis was assessed by calculating two scores indicating the situation before and after diagnosis for each answer, as well as a delta score.Results: Between May and June 2020, the questionnaire was completed by 60 patients aged 16–24 years. The median delta scores describing the changes before and after diagnosis were −8 points for perception of privacy, indicating a significant decrement of the level of privacy perceived. A major issue was the constant presence of parents being perceived as intrusive. Concerning hospital dedicated physical spaces and time for patients to enjoy their privacy, respondents requested dedicated spaces (50% of patients) and opportunities to have private interviews with medical personnel (88%).Conclusions: Our study offers a snapshot of how young people with cancer perceive the impact of the disease and its treatment on their privacy with the restrictions imposed on their individual freedom. Patients’ personal needs must be taken into consideration to adopt appropriate measures and better organize wards.

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To identify the genetic cause of a complex syndrome characterized by autophagic vacuolar myopathy (AVM), hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, pigmentary retinal degeneration, and epilepsy.

Subtotal pancreatectomy was performed in a 6-month-old infant affected by a severe congenital hypoglycemia. Histologic examination disclosed clusters of beta cells scattered through the exocrine pancreas adjacent to small ducts. A microadenoma with cellular abnormalities was also noted. The beta cell nature of the nesidioblastosis was confirmed by electron microscopy. The infant is living and normoglycemic, although affected by cerebral impairment, 18 months after the surgical procedure. The findings in this patient emphasize the lack of features that may distinguish nesidioblastosis from endocrine adenoma of the pancreas.

A short account on malignant polyblastomatosis is given and a case of epithelioma of the penis associated with gastric carcinoma in a luetic man 48 years old is described. A lung metastasis from the penis epithelioma and liver, lymph nodes, pleura, microscopic lung metastases from the gastric carcinoma were present.The presence of lung metastases from both tumours is pointed out as a contribution to the knowledge of multiple tumours metastases; the interest of the lung metastasis from a cancer of the penis more than 1 year after radical surgery is emphasized.The occurrence of the cancer of the penis may have been favoured by syphilis, which cannot be regarded as a predisposing factor to the polyblastomatosis.

The article reviews the music release "Town and Country," by John-Alex Mason.