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COVID-19 vaccination in children and adolescents aged 5 years and older undergoing treatment for cancer and non-malignant haematological conditions: Australian and New Zealand Children’s Haematology/Oncology Group consensus statementThe Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation and New Zealand Ministry of Health recommend all children aged ≥ 5 years receive either of the two mRNA COVID-19 vaccines: Comirnaty (Pfizer), available in both Australia and New Zealand, or Spikevax (Moderna), available in Australia only. Both vaccines are efficacious and safe in the general population, including children. Children and adolescents undergoing treatment for cancer and immunosuppressive therapy for non-malignant haematological conditions are particularly vulnerable, with an increased risk of severe or fatal COVID-19.
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Parents' Experiences of Childhood Cancer During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Australian PerspectiveCOVID-19 has had far-reaching impacts including changes in work, travel, social structures, education, and healthcare. This study aimed to explore the experiences of parents of children receiving treatment for cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Clinical phenotypes and prognostic features of embryonal tumours with multi-layered rosettes: a Rare Brain Tumor Registry studyEmbryonal tumours with multi-layered rosettes (ETMRs) are a newly recognised, rare paediatric brain tumour with alterations of the C19MC microRNA locus. Due to varied diagnostic practices and scarce clinical data, disease features and determinants of outcomes for these tumours are poorly defined. We did an integrated clinicopathological and molecular analysis of primary ETMRs to define clinical phenotypes, and to identify prognostic factors of survival and key treatment modalities for this orphan disease.
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An Anti-VEGF-B Antibody Reduces Abnormal Tumor Vasculature and Enhances the Effects of ChemotherapyThe vascular endothelial growth factors and their receptors are key regulators of blood vessel formation, including in tumors, where their deregulated function can promote the production of aberrant, leaky blood vessels, supporting tumor development.
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The Kids researchers share in $1.75m ACRF grant for cancer researchThree The Kids researchers are collaborating on a cancer research project that has been awarded a $1.75mill grant by the Australian Cancer Research Fund.
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Down syndrome-associated leukaemias: current evidence and challengesChildren with Down syndrome (DS) are at increased risk of developing haematological malignancies, in particular acute megakaryoblastic leukaemia and acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. The microenvironment established by abnormal haematopoiesis driven by trisomy 21 is compounded by additional genetic and epigenetic changes that can drive leukaemogenesis in patients with DS.
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Prospective longitudinal evaluation of treatment-related toxicity and health-related quality of life during the first year of treatment for pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemiaPediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) therapy is accompanied by treatment-related toxicities (TRTs) and impaired quality of life. In Australia and New Zealand, children with ALL are treated with either Children's Oncology Group (COG) or international Berlin-Frankfurt-Munster (iBFM) Study Group-based therapy.
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Multi-omics analysis defines highly refractory RAS burdened immature subgroup of infant acute lymphoblastic leukemiaKMT2A-rearranged infant acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) represents the most refractory type of childhood leukemia. To uncover the molecular heterogeneity of this disease, we perform RNA sequencing, methylation array analysis, whole exome and targeted deep sequencing on 84 infants with KMT2A-rearranged leukemia.
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The Combination of Curaxin CBL0137 and Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor Panobinostat Delays KMT2A-Rearranged Leukemia ProgressionRearrangements of the Mixed Lineage Leukemia (MLL/KMT2A) gene are present in approximately 10% of acute leukemias and characteristically define disease with poor outcome.
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Aging of preleukemic thymocytes drives CpG island hypermethylation in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemiaCancer cells display DNA hypermethylation at specific CpG islands in comparison to their normal healthy counterparts, but the mechanism that drives this so-called CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP) remains poorly understood. Here, we show that CpG island methylation in human T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) mainly occurs at promoters of Polycomb Repressor Complex 2 (PRC2) target genes that are not expressed in normal or malignant T-cells and which display a reciprocal association with H3K27me3 binding.