ABSTRACT Purpose Malignant rhabdoid tumor of the kidney (MRTK) is a rare, aggressive tumor seen in young children. The optimal timing of resection for locally advanced tumors is not well‐defined. The purpose of this study is to evaluate modern oncologic outcomes and the impact of surgical timing. Methods A multicenter retrospective review was performed by institutions participating in the Pediatric Surgical Oncology Research Collaborative. Children younger than 21 years old with MRTK diagnosed between 2000 and 2022 were included. Results Sixty‐nine patients were identified with MRTK and met the inclusion criteria. Median age of diagnosis was 10.1 months. Overall survival (OS) at 1, 5, and 10 years was 49%, 32%, and 19%, respectively. Patients with local Stage III disease who underwent upfront resection ( n = 18) compared to those who had delayed resection after NAT ( n = 15) had a similar OS, median OS greater than 60 months versus 14.6 months, respectively; p = 0.396. The surgical timing groups were balanced in terms of the presence of metastasis, length of follow‐up, and tumor characteristics. There was one occurrence of primary intraoperative tumor spill and two occurrences of organ injury in the upfront resection group compared to none in the delayed resection group. Conclusion MRTK carries a poor prognosis despite multimodal treatment. Histologic diagnosis may not be confirmed at presentation, and MRTK cannot be reliably distinguished from Wilms tumor on imaging alone. As overall survival is similar, the decision regarding surgical timing in locally advanced tumors should be individualized based on perceived resectability, balancing the risk of intraoperative complications against the possibility of tumor progression during neoadjuvant therapy.
Contemporary Biology, Management, and Outcomes of Renal Medullary Carcinoma in Children and Adults: A Pediatric Surgical Oncology Research Collaborative Study
ABSTRACTBackgroundRenal medullary carcinoma (RMC) is an aggressive tumor associated with sickle cell trait. Despite treatment advances for other rare renal tumors, RMC survival remains poor. We aimed to describe the contemporary management and survival of children and adults with RMC.ProcedureIn this multicenter retrospective cohort study, Pediatric Surgical Oncology Research Collaborative sites searched their databases for patients diagnosed with RMC (2000–2022). Descriptive statistics were calculated and survival analyses performed using Kaplan–Meier and Cox regression.ResultsThirty‐four patients with RMC were identified. Median age was 19 years (IQR: 15–28; range: 7–52). Most were male (24/34; 71%), Black (27/32; 84%), had sickle cell trait or disease (30/33; 91%), presented with metastatic disease (27/34; 79%), and were symptomatic at presentation (32/34; 94%). Median overall survival (OS) was 24 months from diagnosis (16 months for children, 28 months for adults, p = 0.6). Receipt of platinum‐based chemotherapy (23/34; 68%) was associated with significantly higher OS than other regimens (35 vs. 5 months, p < 0.001). Nephrectomy (24/34; 71%) was associated with significantly improved OS compared with non‐operative management (34 vs. 7 months, p = 0.001). Immunotherapy, targeted therapy, or radiation therapy were not associated with significant differences in OS, nor were age, sex, race, sickle cell status, SMARCB1/INI‐1, stage, nephrectomy approach, retroperitoneal lymph node dissection, gross residual disease, margins, or tumor size.ConclusionsRMC survival remains poor despite newer therapies. Nephrectomy and platinum‐based chemotherapy should be considered in locally advanced and metastatic disease. Coordinated international cooperative group studies are needed to meaningfully improve RMC survival.
Survival outcomes in pediatric patients with metastatic Ewing sarcoma who achieve a rapid complete response of pulmonary metastases
Abstract Purpose Our objectives were to compare overall survival (OS) and pulmonary relapse between patients with metastatic Ewing sarcoma (EWS) at diagnosis who achieve rapid complete response (RCR) and those with residual pulmonary nodules after induction chemotherapy (non‐RCR). Patients and methods This retrospective cohort study included children under 20 years with metastatic EWS treated from 2007 to 2020 at 19 institutions in the Pediatric Surgical Oncology Research Collaborative. Chi‐square tests were conducted for differences among groups. Kaplan–Meier curves were generated for OS and pulmonary relapse. Results Among 148 patients with metastatic EWS at diagnosis, 61 (41.2%) achieved RCR. Five‐year OS was 71.2% for patients who achieved RCR, and 50.2% for those without RCR ( p = .04), and in multivariable regression among patients with isolated pulmonary metastases, RCR (hazards ratio [HR] 0.42; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.17–0.99) and whole lung irradiation (WLI) (HR 0.35; 95% CI: 0.16–0.77) were associated with improved survival. Pulmonary relapse occurred in 57 (37%) patients, including 18 (29%) in the RCR and 36 (41%) in the non‐RCR groups ( p = .14). Five‐year pulmonary relapse rates did not significantly differ based on RCR (33.0%) versus non‐RCR (47.0%, p = .13), or WLI (38.8%) versus no WLI (46.0%, p = .32). Discussion Patients with EWS who had isolated pulmonary metastases at diagnosis had improved OS if they achieved RCR and received WLI, despite having no significant differences in rates of pulmonary relapse.
Comparison of Outcomes Between Surveillance Ultrasound and Completion Lymph Node Dissection in Children and Adolescents With Sentinel Lymph Node-Positive Cutaneous Melanoma
Objective: To determine the impact of nodal basin ultrasound (US) surveillance versus completion lymph node dissection (CLND) in children and adolescents with sentinel lymph node (SLN) positive melanoma. Background: Treatment for children and adolescents with melanoma are extrapolated from adult trials. However, there is increasing evidence that important clinical and biological differences exist between pediatric and adult melanoma. Methods: Patients ≤18 years diagnosed with cutaneous melanoma between 2010 and 2020 from 14 pediatric hospitals were included. Data extracted included demographics, histopathology, nodal basin strategies, surveillance intervals, and survival information. Results: Of 252 patients, 90.1% (n=227) underwent SLN biopsy (SLNB), 50.9% (n=115) had at least 1 positive node. A total of 67 patients underwent CLND with 97.0% (n=65/67) performed after a positive SLNB. In contrast, 46 total patients underwent US observation of nodal basins with 78.3% (n=36/46) of these occurring after positive SLNB. Younger patients were more likely to undergo US surveillance (median age 8.5 y) than CLND (median age 11.3 y; P=0.0103). Overall, 8.9% (n=21/235) experienced disease recurrence: 6 primary, 6 nodal, and 9 distant. There was no difference in recurrence (11.1% vs 18.8%; P=0.28) or death from disease (2.2% vs 9.7%; P=0.36) for those who underwent US versus CLND, respectively. Conclusions: Children and adolescents with cutaneous melanoma frequently have nodal metastases identified by SLN. Recurrence was more common among patients with thicker primary lesions and positive SLN. No significant differences in oncologic outcomes were observed with US surveillance and CLND following the identification of a positive SLN.
Survival outcomes in pediatric patients with metastatic Ewing sarcoma who achieve a rapid complete response of pulmonary metastases.
11535 Background: Twenty-five percent of patients with Ewing Sarcoma (EWS) have metastatic disease at diagnosis, most commonly in the lungs. Our objectives were to compare overall (OS) and pulmonary disease-free survival (PDFS) between patients with metastatic EWS at diagnosis who achieve rapid complete response (RCR), defined as radiographic resolution of all pulmonary nodules at the end of induction chemotherapy, and those with residual pulmonary nodules after induction chemotherapy (non-RCR). Methods: This multi-center, retrospective cohort study included children under 20 years of age with metastatic EWS treated from 2007-2020 at 19 institutions participating in the Pediatric Surgical Oncology Research Collaborative. Chi-square tests were conducted for differences among groups, and p < 0.05 was considered significant. Kaplan-Meier curves were generated for OS and PDFS. Cox regression was performed for OS, controlling for whole lung irradiation (WLI), extrapulmonary metastases, and age. Results: Among 153 patients with metastatic EWS at diagnosis, 61 (40%) achieved RCR, and 87 (57%) did not (5 unknown). The median number of pulmonary nodules was 3.5 in the RCR vs 5 in the non-RCR groups (p = 0.02), while bilateral disease was present in 44 (72%) RCR vs 75 (86%) non-RCR patients (p = 0.03). Pulmonary relapse occurred in 58 (38%) patients, including 18 (29%) in the RCR and 36 (41%) in the non-RCR groups (p = 0.14). Factors associated with pulmonary relapse in the univariate analysis include median age [15 years (IQR: 12-17) with pulmonary relapse vs 12 years (IQR: 9-16) without (p = 0.03)] and extrapulmonary metastases at diagnosis [24 (41%) patients with pulmonary relapse vs 26 (27%) patients without pulmonary relapse (p = 0.05)]. WLI was performed in 100 patients and was not associated with a reduction in pulmonary relapse (p = 0.93). Complete surgical clearance of pulmonary disease was attempted in 29 (19%) patients, including 17 of the patients who met the criteria for RCR. On Kaplan-Meier analyses, 5-year PDFS did not significantly differ based on RCR (67%) vs. non-RCR (53%, p = 0.13), or WLI (61%) vs. no WLI (54%, p = 0.32). However, 5-year OS did vary significantly between patients with RCR and WLI (85%), RCR without WLI (55%), non-RCR with WLI (60%), and non-RCR without WLI (25%; p < 0.01). In Cox regression analysis, RCR was associated with improved OS after controlling for WLI, extrapulmonary metastases, and patient age (HR 0.51, p = 0.03). Conclusions: Patients with EWS who had pulmonary metastases at diagnosis had improved OS if they achieved RCR and received WLI, despite having no significant differences in rates of pulmonary relapse. Further research is needed to determine whether clearance of pulmonary disease achieved through surgical metastasectomy provides a comparable survival benefit and if any subsets of patients have a reduced risk of pulmonary relapse after resection.
Incidence and management of pleural effusions in patients with Wilms tumor: A Pediatric Surgical Oncology Research Collaborative study
AbstractWilms tumor (WT) is the most common renal malignancy in children. Children with favorable histology WT achieve survival rates of over 90%. Twelve percent of patients present with metastatic disease, most commonly to the lungs. The presence of a pleural effusion at the time of diagnosis of WT may be noted on staging imaging; however, minimal data exist regarding the significance and prognostic importance of this finding. The objectives of our study are to identify the incidence of pleural effusions in patients with WT, and to determine the potential impact on oncologic outcomes. A multi‐institutional retrospective review was performed from January 2009 to December 2019, including children with WT and a pleural effusion on diagnostic imaging treated at Pediatric Surgical Oncology Research Collaborative (PSORC) participating institutions. Of 1259 children with a new WT diagnosis, 94 (7.5%) had a pleural effusion. Patients with a pleural effusion were older than those without (median 4.3 vs 3.5 years; P = .004), and advanced stages were more common (local stage III 85.9% vs 51.9%; P < .0001). Only 14 patients underwent a thoracentesis for fluid evaluation; 3 had cytopathologic evidence of malignant cells. Event‐free and overall survival of all children with WT and pleural effusions was 86.2% and 91.5%, respectively. The rate and significance of malignant cells present in pleural fluid is unknown due to low incidence of cytopathologic analysis in our cohort; therefore, the presence of an effusion does not appear to necessitate a change in therapy. Excellent survival can be expected with current stage‐specific treatment regimens.