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Spotlight on... awareness weeks

Awareness weeks guide

International Childhood Cancer Awareness Day

International Childhood Cancer Day

15 February 2025

 

International Childhood Cancer Day is a global collaborative campaign to raise awareness about childhood cancer, and to express support for children and adolescents with cancer, the survivors and their families. International Childhood Cancer Day

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Complications of treatment

Diagnosis and treatment

Patient education

Cochrane Library

Online resources

Reports and statistics

Articles

Mental health and support

Research and treatment

E-books

Journals

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Articles

Mental health and support

Factors associated with psychological well-being among children under 18 years old with cancer: A scoping review
This review found several aspects that describe the psychological well-being (PWB) of the articles reviewed. These aspects consist of anxiety, depression, distress, well-being, and self-esteem. From these aspects, many predictors were obtained, which were classified into four categories of factors related to the PWB of children with cancer. Psychology research and behavior management 9 January 2025

Family-level impact of Germline Genetic Testing in childhood cancer: A multi family member interview analysis
This research highlights that genetic testing impacts families deeply and that healthcare providers should address these family-level challenges to better support families during an already difficult time. Cancers 4 February 2025

Quality of life and family functioning 12 months after diagnosis of childhood brain tumour: A longitudinal cohort study
The following factors indicate a need for increased early psychosocial support: cognitive difficulties, aged <4 years at diagnosis, receiving chemotherapy and/or radiation, and low household income. Pediatric blood cancer 15 July 2024

Stepping into adulthood: pediatric cancer survivors and their parents’ perspectives on the transition from pediatric to adult care
Cancer survivorship, Follow-up care, Pediatric cancer, Psycho-oncology, Self-management, Transition from pediatric to adult healthcare. BMC health services research 4 February 2025

Support experiences and wishes of bereaved parents after the loss of their child to cancer
Improving grief literacy may strengthen informal support and make discussions of grief and death less taboo. Institutional policies, training, and networking may help to ensure that support provided by healthcare professionals, institutions, and organizations is less vulnerable to inconsistencies. Pediatrics blood and cancer 6 November 2024

Temporal relationships between general self-efficacy, social support and health-related quality of life among adult survivors of childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: A 9-year follow-up study
The findings highlight the importance of self-efficacy and social support as potential buffering factors for HRQOL in adult survivors of childhood ALL over time. Pediatrics blood and cancer 5 February 2025 _______________________________________________________________________________

Research and treatment

Barriers to access of precision guided therapies for children with high-risk cancer
This study provides insight to the challenges faced when seeking access to novel therapies for paediatric oncology patients. There is a clear need for improved communication, streamlining processes and increased resources to facilitate access to novel agents. Further resource development is necessary to address these complexities in accessing novel therapy agents to ultimately ensure equitable and timely access. Pediatrics blood and cancer 26 August 2024

Chemotherapy with Alkylating Agents and dental anomalies in children: A systematic review
The aim of the systematic review is to analyze the type and the prevalence of dental side effects among cancer survivors treated with alkylating agents (AAs) during pediatric age.  Journal of clinical medicine 6 February 2025

Childhood cancer incidence and survival in South Australia and the Northern Territory, 1990–2017, with emphasis on Indigenous Peoples
The incidence of childhood cancers has remained unchanged over 28-years in SA and the NT. Encouragingly, improved survival rates over time were observed in SA and amongst Indigenous children of the NT. Nevertheless, survival rates in Indigenous children remain lower than non-Indigenous children. Cancers 29 May 2024

Exploring the landscape of integrative medicine in pediatric oncology: Characterization of an outpatient consultative service
Priority symptoms reported by patients and referred to the integrative medicine (IM) outpatient consultative service included nausea, pain, and poor appetite. Concerns were addressed during tailored discussions with patients and their families. Having an outpatient consultative IM service may benefit providers, patients, and families to facilitate receiving evidence-informed recommendations in a dedicated, consolidated setting. Children 7 February 2025

Impact of time to antibiotics on clinical outcome in paediatric febrile neutropenia: a target trial emulation of 1685 episodes
For children with febrile neutropenia (FN), there was no definite evidence that targets of time to antibiotics (TTA) ≥60 min from hospital triage (but within 2 h), increased risk of adverse outcome or prolonged hospital admission. This study has important implications for FN TTA mandates, suggesting a more nuanced approach is required. The Lancet regional health – Western Pacific 2 November 2024

Management of patients with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma in Australia and New Zealand: Australian and New Zealand Children's Haematology/Oncology Group position statement
Main recommendations

  • All patients with Diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas (DIPGs should be discussed in multidisciplinary neuro-oncology meetings (including pathologists, neuroradiologists, radiation oncologists, neurosurgeons, medical oncologists) at diagnosis and at relapse or progression.
  • Radiation therapy to the involved field remains the local and international standard of care treatment.
  • Proton therapy does not yield a superior survival outcome compared with photon therapy and patients should undergo radiation therapy with the available modality (photon or proton) at their treatment centre.
  • Patients may receive concurrent chemotherapy or radiation-sensitising agents as part of a clinical trial.
  • Biopsy should be offered to facilitate consideration of experimental therapies and eligibility for clinical trial participation.
  • After radiation therapy, each patient should be managed individually with either observation or considered for enrolment on a clinical trial, if eligible, after full discussion with the family.
  • Re-irradiation can be considered for progressive disease.

Changes in management as a result of the guideline:
Every child diagnosed with DIPG should be offered enrolment on a clinical trial where available. Access to investigational drugs without biological rationale outside the clinical trial setting is not supported. In case of potentially actionable target identification with molecular profiling and absence of a suitable clinical trial, rational targeted therapies can be considered through compassionate access programs. MJA 3 May 2024

Non-malignant features of cancer predisposition syndromes manifesting in childhood and adolescence: a guide for the general pediatrician
Recognizing non-malignant features of cancer predisposition syndromes is essential for early diagnosis and management. This organ-specific overview furthers awareness among healthcare providers, facilitating timely genetic counseling, surveillance programs, and preventive measures, ultimately improving patient outcomes. World journal of pediatrics 6 December 2024

Population-level 5-year event-free survival for children with cancer in Australia
Reporting Event-free survival (EFS) at a population level provides further insight on a wider range of impacts apart from mortality alone, contributing towards efforts to improve the management and outcomes of childhood cancer. Pediatric blood cancer 30 July 2024

Radiomics and artificial intelligence applications in pediatric brain tumors
This brief review illustrates the current state of the art of radiomics and the use of artificial intelligence software and its contributions to understanding CNS tumors in children. World journal of pediatrics 27 June 2024

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E-books

This is just a sample of the e-books the library subscribes to – you will need your library login

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Journals

This is just a sample of the journals the library subscribes to – you will need your library login

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