Peru, an upper-middle income country according to the World Bank, is being severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, counting today 285 213 cases and 9677 deaths, and having one of the highest incidence rates of COVID-19 in the world (87.5 per million inhabitants). 1 National lockdown policies, transportation restriction, and economic constrains, along with disrupted health care services, have significantly impacted access for diagnosis and treatment of children with cancer. 2,3 Although recent papers suggest that the pediatric oncology population may not have higher mortality resulting from SARS-CoV-2 infection in high-income countries (Spain, 4 China, 5 USA, 6 Italy 7), these patients

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Background The aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship between the latency to diagnosis (LD) and the time to completion of chemotherapy (TCC) with clinical outcomes in children with osteosarcoma. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of all patients who received treatment for osteosarcoma in two tertiary centers in Peru from 2008 to 2015. All causes of delayed LD or TCC were evaluated. Overall survival (OS) and event‐free‐survival (EFS) were estimated and compared according to LD, TCC, and established clinical prognostic factors. Results One hundred and thirteen patients were included in the study. The median LD was 13.5 weeks (interquartile range, 10‐18.5 weeks). No association was observed among clinical stage, tumor size, and LD. Delayed LD was not associated with a worse clinical outcome. Multivariate analysis confirmed that OS and EFS were significantly worse in cases of a delayed TCC (≥4 weeks), with hazard ratios of 2.70 (1.11‐6.76, P = 0.003) and 1.13 (1.00‐1.26, P = 0.016), respectively. Most delays in TCC (85%) were due to extramedical reasons (e.g., lack of available hospital beds). Conclusion The LD did not seem to influence the EFS and OS in pediatric patients with osteosarcoma. However, a delay in TCC from any cause is independently associated with poor outcome in pediatric patients with osteosarcoma. Based on these results, further efforts may be needed to avoid treatment delays in patients with osteosarcoma in middle‐income countries.

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Frequency of IKZF1 Deletions in a Peruvian Population with B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Background: B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (B-ALL) is an aggressive disease with worse outcomes in older patients, and latino ethnicity. Additionally, Latino populations are at higher risk of developing B-ALL.IKZF1is an essential lymphoid transcription factor with deletions (ΔIKZF1)implicated in treatment failure and relapses. We aimed to evaluate the frequency ofIKZF1deletions in a cohort of Peruvian patients with newly diagnosed B-ALL. Methods: We collected diagnostic bone marrow samples from 41 consecutive patients with B-ALL diagnosed between 2015-2019 at Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Neoplasicas (INEN; Lima, Peru). Bone marrow samples were cryopreserved prior to induction treatment. DNA was extracted using High Pure PCR Template Preparation Kit (Roche) at INEN. Samples with adequate DNA were screened forΔIKZF1by multiplex endpoint PCR covering four main deletions - dominant negative Δ4-7 or the loss of function Δ2-7, Δ4-8, and Δ2-8 IKZF1 deletions at UCL Cancer Insitute (London, UK) using the primers described by Caye et. al. We analyzed outcomes byIKZF1status. Results: Forty-one cases were enrolled during the study period. Clinical characteristics are presented in Table 1. Median age was 20 years[1-63]. Fifteen∆IKZF1cases (37%) were detected (67%BCR-ABL1 negand 33%BCR-ABL1pos).Cases withΔIKZF1were older than those with wild-typeIKZF1(median age 31 vs 13 years, p=0.002). Median presenting white blood count (WBC) was 48 x109/L [R:2-218], with a higher WBC inΔIKZF1compared to wild-type (87 vs 24 x109/L, p=0.001). The most frequent deletion was ∆4-7 (sevenBCR-ABL1 negand threeBCR-ABL1 pos) additional deletions are described in table 2. All patients received intensive 'pediatric-based' treatment, 21 with BFM-2009 and 19 with the CALGB 10403 protocol. CR rates after induction were 67% and 92% for∆IKZF1and wild-type cases, respectively. Eleven (73%) of patients with∆IKZF1subjects (73%) were MRD positive by flow cytometry after induction compared to 11 (44%) among wild-type. At a median follow-up of 2 years EFS was 38% in the∆IKZF1group and 58% in the wild type group, correspond OS was 38% and 58%, respectively. Conclusion: A high frequency of IKZF1 deletions was found in a Peruvian population with B-ALL and was associated with older age and higher presenting white blood counts. Prospective studies with larger Latino population are warranted to confirm this finding. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.