Introduction. Neuroblastoma (NB) in children is a rare disease, accounting for 7 % of all cases of oncological diseases in childhood. In this regard, epidemiological analysis requires the accumulation of data over a long period of time. The purpose of the study is to study the morbidity, mortality and survival rate of children 0–14 years old with NB in the Republic of Belarus (RB).Materials and methods. Based on the data from the children’s cancer subregister, morbidity, mortality and survival rates in child population were calculated from 1997 to 2017. A comparative epidemiological analysis was carried out in 2 time periods (1997–2007, 2008–2017).Results and discussion. The incidence rate of NB in the RB, standardized for age, was 1.142 ± 0.062 per 100 000 child population with an average annual growth rate of 3.2 % per year. The mortality rate for this period was 0.32 ± 0.03 per 100 000 child population, an increase of 0.51 % per year. The main cause of death in patients with NB is the recurrence of the underlying disease. In 2008, a single protocol was used to treat all risk groups, which led to a significant increase in the observed population survival rate from 56 % (1997–2007) to 72 % (2008–2017) (p = 0.0041). Comparing the age structure of morbidity in Germany and the RB, it is noted that we have a reliably later diagnosis of the disease in the age categories from 0 to 1 year, from 1 to 4 years, from 5 to 9 years. The median age of the patient at the time of diagnosis in Germany is 1 year and 2 months, in our country 1 year and 6 months.Conclusion. Indicators of standardized morbidity and mortality from NB in the RB correspond to the indicators of cancer registries in Western Europe and the USA. However, analyzing the age of the specific incidence of the disease, insufficient diagnosis of the disease is noted in the periods from 0 to 1 year, from 1 to 4 years and from 5 to 9 years compared to the data in Germany. This requires further improvement of the pediatric oncology service in the country.
motherapy regimens in the late 1970s significantly improved treatment outcomes in TC patients [2]. In Western countries this led to a dramatic decrease in mortality during the following decade [3] and currently, survival of TC patients exceeds 90%. Yet, that is not the case for a number of Eastern European countries where some progress in survival took place at a much later time and probably has not yet been completed [4].
The results of treatment of recurrent/refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) with both standard and high-dose chemotherapy are unsatisfactory and require the development of new therapeutic options. The use of immunotherapy approaches opens up new perspectives for patients whose cytotoxic chemotherapy was ineffctive or intolerable. This article describes the experience of using CD19 CAR-T cells manufactured at the Republican Scientifi and Practical Center for Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Immunology after lymphodepletion with fldarabine and cyclophosphamide in two patients over 18 years of age with refractory relapse of ALL. Other possibilities of conservative treatment for these patients have been exhausted. The study was approved by the Independent Ethics Committee and the Scientifi Council of the Belarusian Research Center for Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Immunology (Republic of Belarus). The chimeric 2nd generation receptor was constructed from the anti-CD19 scFv antibody fragment, the CD28 transmembrane domain, signaling domains of the 4-1BB and CD3z proteins, and transduced into T-lymphocytes as part of the pWPXL lentiviral vector. The cell product was obtained by separation and separate processing of CD4 and CD8 lymphocytes in the presence of IL-7 and IL-15. The subpopulation composition of the resulting CAR-T cell product and the expression of immune checkpoints were assessed. The results obtained indicate a high antileukemic activity of the obtained CAR-T cells. Monitoring of CAR-T cells' persistence, the level of minimal residual disease, and the spectrum of inflmmatory cytokines in the blood was performed. Both patients responded to CAR-T therapy by lowering their blast cell levels. Treatment was accompanied by a cytokine release syndrome controlled by a recombinant monoclonal antibody to the human IL-6 receptor, tocilizumab. The developed and replicated laboratory-derived CAR-T cell technology can be used to treat patients with severe relapsed/refractory B-line ALL as rescue therapy and provide additional chances for their cure.
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