Intracranial germ cell tumors are rare tumor entities in childhood and adolescents. Extra- and intracranial germ cell tumors are identical in their histologic pattern and occur in preferential midline localizations such as the pineal and the suprasellar region. Germ cell neoplasms show increasing incidence rates over the last 30 years. The majority of intracranial germ cell neoplasms are germinomas. About 90% of the patients with pure germinomas can be salvaged by radiotherapy alone according to modern protocols. Non-germinomatous malignant CNS-germ cell tumors are considered to have a poor prognosis. In order to improve the survival of patients affected by these tumors different treatment approaches adding chemotherapy to conventional surgery and radiotherapy have been initiated by various study groups throughout the world. Due to the rarity of these neoplasms only a very limited number of patients has been enrolled in each study. In 1993 an international working group on these tumors was established by the International Society of Pediatric Oncology (SIOP).

Radiotherapy, laminectomy, and chemotherapy showed comparable ability to relieve or improve SCC. However, patients treated with chemotherapy usually did not require additional therapy, whereas patients treated either with radiotherapy or laminectomy commonly did. No patient presenting with (or developing) severe motor deficit recovered or improved. Sequelae were documented in 44% of surviving patients.

The therapeutic modifications adopted in the ICGNB-89 and ICGNB-92 protocols were not associated with a significant improvement in response rate or in the 5-year OS and EFS as compared with the ICGNB-85 protocol. Attempts at intensifying chemotherapy were associated with greater toxicity.

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to describe the patterns of marriage and parenthood in a cohort of childhood cancer survivors included in the Off-Therapy Registry maintained by the Italian Association of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology. Design and MethodsWe analyzed a cohort of 6,044 patients diagnosed with cancer between 1960 and 1998, while aged 0 to 14 years and who were 18 years old or older by December 2003. They were followed up through the regional vital statistics registers until death or the end of follow up (October 30, 2006), whichever occurred first, and their marital status and date of birth of their children were recorded. The cumulative probabilities of being married and having a first child were computed by gender and compared by tumor type within the cohort. Marriage and fertility rates (the latter defined as the number of live births per woman-year) were compared with those of the Italian population of the same age, gender, area of residence and calendar period by means of the observed to expected (O/E) ratios. ResultsDuring the follow-up period, 4,633 (77%) subjects had not married. The marriage O/E ratios were 0.56 (95% CI: 0.51-0.61) and 0.70 (95% CI: 0.65-0.76) among men and women, respectively. Overall, 263 men had 367 liveborn children, and 473 women had 697 liveborn children. The female fertility O/E ratio was 0.57 (95% CI: 0.53-0.62) overall, and 1.08 (95% CI: 0.99-1.17) when analyses were restricted to married/cohabiting women ConclusionsChildhood cancer survivors are less likely to marry and to have children than the general population, confirming the life-long impact of their previous disease on their social behavior and choices. The inclusion of counseling in the strategies of management and long-term surveillance of childhood cancer patients could be beneficial to survivors as they approach adulthood.Key words: childhood cancer, marriage, fertility, long-term survivors, quality of life.Citation: Pivetta E, Maule MM, Pisani P, Zugna D, Haupt R, Jankovic M, Aricò M, Casale F, Clerico A, Cordero di Montezemolo L, Kiren V, Locatelli F, Palumbo G, Pession A, Pillon M, Santoro N, Terenziani M, Valsecchi MG, Dama E, Magnani C, Merletti F and Pastore G,

Infantile colic is a common disturbance occurring in the first three months of life. It is a benign condition and one of the main causes of pediatric consultation in the early part of life because of its great impact on family life. Some pediatricians are prone to undervalue this issue mainly because of the lack of evidence based medicine guidelines. Up to now, there is no consensus concerning management and treatment. Literature reports growing evidence about the effectiveness of dietary, pharmacological, complementary and behavioral therapies as options for the management of infantile colic. Dietary approach, usually based on the avoidance of cow’s milk proteins in breast-feeding mothers and bottle-fed infants, more recently has seen the rise of new special formulas, such as partially hydrolyzed proteins and low lactose added with prebiotics or probiotics: their efficacy needs to be further documented. Investigated pharmacological agents are Simethicone and Cimetropium Bromide: the first is able to reduce bloating while the second could reduce fussing crying, but it has been tested only for severe infantile colic. No other pain relieving agents have been proposed until now, but some clinical trials are ongoing for new drugs.There is limited evidence supporting the use of complementary and alternative treatments (herbal supplements, manipulative approach and acupuncture) or behavioral interventions.Recent studies have focused the role of microbiota in the pathogenesis of this disturb and so new treatments, such as probiotics, have been proposed, but only few strains have been tested.Further investigations are needed in order to provide evidence-based guidelines.