Patients with pediatric cancer often experience reduced physical activity (PA) due to treatment-related fatigue, functional limitations, and lack of structured exercise programs. Digital health solutions, including wearable sensors and augmented reality (AR)-based interventions, may offer new possibilities for monitoring and improving PA in this population.

This scoping review aims to address existing research gaps by identifying the instruments-both conventional and digital-used to monitor PA in patients with pediatric cancer during treatment. In addition, this study examines PA monitoring methods, identifies the variables collected, and explores the applicability of digital health solutions in facilitating PA engagement among patients with pediatric cancer.

In accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology, a systematic search was conducted across 8 scientific databases-ProQuest, Web of Science, EBSCO Complete, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, Scopus, MEDLINE (PubMed), and Cochrane-on April 18 and 19, 2024. Studies were screened using the Rayyan AI-assisted review tool based on predefined inclusion criteria targeting children aged 7-19 years who were undergoing cancer treatment or were within 2 years posttreatment. Eligible studies included clinical trials and observational studies that examined objective (eg, wearable sensors) and subjective (eg, questionnaires and self-reports) approaches to PA monitoring. Keywords and controlled vocabulary (eg, MeSH [Medical Subject Headings] terms) were identified through a review of relevant literature. Data were extracted systematically to capture study characteristics, intervention types, and outcome measures. Extracted data were charted and synthesized narratively to identify patterns, technological applications, and research gaps in PA monitoring among patients with pediatric cancer.

Twelve studies met the inclusion criteria and employed a range of PA monitoring tools. Digital health solutions, including Actical and Garmin VivoFit 3 devices, were used in 5 studies to assess step counts, gait cycles, and movement intensity. Self-reported measures were identified in 11 studies, most commonly the Activities Scale for Kids and the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory-Multidimensional Fatigue Scale, which provided insights into mobility and fatigue. Despite their feasibility, subjective assessments were limited by recall bias and motivational factors. Although digital health solutions-such as wearable sensors, gamification, and mobile applications-showed potential to improve PA adherence, their application remains underutilized, and evidence regarding their integration in pediatric oncology is limited.

Existing objective and subjective methods for monitoring PA provide valuable insights; however, gaps remain in the use of interactive digital health solutions, such as AR-based interventions, for PA monitoring and engagement. Future research should focus on integrating digital tools that not only track PA but also actively engage patients, enhance motivation, and support rehabilitation across both clinical and home settings.

Regular physical activity improves quality of life in cancer patients, yet adherence to guidelines remains low. Community-based exercise programmes offer scalable solutions, but determinants of programme completion and engagement are underexplored.

This study evaluated factors associated with completion of a 12-session community-based cancer exercise programme. It also examined factors related to achieving ≥ 150 min of weekly physical activity following programme completion, considering sociodemographic characteristics, cancer type, prior exercise history, and referral pathway.

Data from 918 cancer patients enrolled in the programme were analysed. Associations between age, gender, ethnicity, education, housing status, referral location, referrer type, prior exercise history, and cancer type with programme completion and post-programme physical activity levels were examined using chi-squared tests and logistic regression.

Participants from multiple ethnic backgrounds had higher odds of completing the 12-session programme compared with White participants (OR = 2.529, 95% CI 1.217-5.259, p = .013). Asian participants had lower odds of meeting physical activity guidelines of ≥ 150 min per week (OR = 0.532, 95% CI 0.294-0.965, p = .038). Achieving ≥ 150 min of weekly physical activity was positively associated with higher education (OR = 1.862, p < .001), homeownership (OR = 0.177, p < .001), self-referral (OR = 1.875, p = .035), referral from Barnet (OR = 2.410, p = .002) or Islington & Camden (OR = 2.425, p < .001), female gender (OR = 1.650, p = .004), and age ≥ 72 years (OR = 2.494, p = .002). Non-homeownership was the strongest negative factor associated with not reaching the ≥ 150-min physical activity guideline (p < .001).

Ethnicity was the only factor significantly associated with programme completion. In contrast, multiple factors, particularly non-homeownership, strongly influenced achieving recommended activity levels post-programme. These findings suggest the potential importance of social and environmental factors in shaping engagement and sustained physical activity in community cancer exercise programmes. Addressing these factors may improve participation, inclusivity, and long-term health outcomes for people living with and beyond cancer.

To investigate the diagnostic utility of asymmetrical tonsils in detecting tonsillar malignancy.

PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Cochrane Library; from inception until December 17, 2024.

We included observational studies of adult/pediatric patients undergoing excisional tonsillectomy or incisional tonsillar biopsy that reported at least one diagnostic accuracy outcome for tonsillar asymmetry in predicting malignancy. We pooled estimates using frequentist univariate random-effects generalized linear mixed models, examined and adjusted for publication bias via visual inspection, Egger's test, and trim-and-fill, performed influence and cumulative meta-analyses, and used a Bayesian bivariate model as a sensitivity analysis. Outcome measures included the following: sensitivity, specificity, positive/negative likelihood ratio (LR+/LR-), and positive/negative predictive value (NPV/PPV) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI).

Twenty-nine studies (5178 participants) from 422 records were included. The risk of bias was low-moderate. The sensitivity and specificity of tonsillar asymmetry as a diagnostic marker for malignancy were 77.2% (95% CI: 68.6%-84.0%) and 96.4% (95% CI: 91.6%-98.6%), respectively. The LR- was 0.24 (0.17-0.34) and LR+ was 21.44 (8.05-57.0). The NPV and PPV were 99.8% (95% CI: 99.1%-99.9%) and 4.31% (95% CI: 1.83%-9.80%), without considering clinical risks. With concomitant high-risk clinical features such as lymphadenopathy, the PPV (probability of malignancy given asymmetrical tonsils) was 38.5% (30.3%-47.4%). Without other high-risk features, the PPV was 0.16% (0.15%-0.18%). The overall quality of evidence was high.

Tonsillar asymmetry has a high specificity and moderate sensitivity for tonsillar malignancy. Due to the low prevalence of malignancy, the probability of malignancy is less than 1% if no other suspicious clinical features are present.

The epigenetic deregulation of CpG islands (CGIs) plays a crucial role in cancer initiation and progression. CGIs comprise 1%-2% of the human genome and are rich in differentially methylated regions (DMRs) that can serve as biomarkers in clinical samples and liquid biopsies. Focusing epigenetic sequencing on CpG-rich regions, including CGIs, while avoiding non-informative sequences, offers an efficient and sensitive approach for cancer detection and monitoring, especially in samples with excess normal DNA. To this end, we developed adaptor-anchored methylation amplification via proximity primers (aMAPPs), a versatile PCR-based enrichment method. Proximity primers (PPs) are specially designed primers that amplify either methylated or unmethylated proximal CpGs, depending on the selected methylation conversion method. aMAPP achieves high-coverage of genome-wide CGIs and detects numerous DMRs in tumor samples compared to adjacent normal tissue using ultra-low depth sequencing (∼300 000 reads). aMAPP enables detection of aberrant methylation down to 0.01% allelic frequency in tumor DNA dilutions and cell-free DNA, requires only picogram DNA input, and can be adapted to enrich either small panels of cancer-specific DMRs or large genomic-fractions including >90% of genomic CGIs. Overall, aMAPP provides a simple, cost-effective, and highly sensitive strategy for capturing the epigenetic footprint of genome-wide CpGs and identifying aberrant methylation events.

Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) are promising prostate cancer biomarkers, but their cellular origin and regulatory mechanisms remain unclear. Prostate samples from 70 men (30 prostate cancer, 40 benign) were analyzed by in situ hybridization for nine miRNAs identified via serum next-generation sequencing (NGS). Digital image analysis was used to quantify miRNAs in benign and malignant epithelial compartments and stromal cells. Five of the nine miRNAs were detected in prostate tissue. miR-550a, miR-4754, and miR-4326 exhibited an "epithelial down, stromal up" pattern accompanied by elevated serum levels; serum miR-550a correlated with high-grade tumor cells. miR-1246 progressively decreased from benign epithelium through Gleason grade 3 to grade 4 tumor cells, suggesting increased secretion by advanced tumor cells. However, extraprostatic contributions and assay cross-reactivity likely influenced its serum profile. miR-4632 exhibited distinct compartmental alterations, but methodological or extraprostatic factors appeared to affect serum detection. Overall, this integrative profiling reveals that not all miRNAs altered in serum from prostate cancer patients originate from prostate tissue, underscoring the value of comparative tissue/serum analyses. miR-550a, miR-1246, miR-4754, and miR-4326 emerge as promising biomarkers warranting further longitudinal evaluation.

Encorafenib, cetuximab, and binimetinib are targeted therapies developed for metastatic colorectal cancer with a BRAF V600E mutation. This case report describes a patient with metastatic duodenal cancer with a BRAF V600E mutation who achieved durable complete remission following this treatment. The case highlights the potential use of BRAF V600E targeted therapy in BRAF V600E-mutated duodenal cancer and the importance of molecular profiling in rare cancers. Further research is needed on the effect and safety of targeted therapy for small bowel adenocarcinoma.

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a type of cancer that has a rather high mortality rate and arises from cholangiocytes. Due to its aggressive nature, CCA is considered a rare and highly advanced form of malignancy. This research is detailed around which role does ferroptosis play in CCA and what impact does it have on CCA progression as well as on treatment resistance. A systematic assessment of previously published works was conducted to understand the cellular mechanisms of ferroptosis, the pertinent biological networks, and its possible therapeutic targets. During the research, we discovered that the sensitivity of CCA cells to ferroptosis associated cell death is increased because they have dysregulated iron metabolism and uncontrolled lipid peroxidation. Sensitivity to ferroptosis is regulated by important proteins such as acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family member 4 (ACSL4) and solute carrier family 7 member 11 (SLC7A11). In addition, the ferroptosis inducers erastin and RSL3 are capable of enhancing the efficacy of traditional therapies and seeking solutions for the chemoresistance problem. The hurdles to be overcome are finding reliable biomarkers for the prediction of ferroptosis sensitivity and designing targeted delivery systems for minimal off-target effects. Clinically, these techniques offer novel concepts in the treatment of CCA, making further research key to these conclusions being adopted in practice.

Schiff bases, formed through the condensation of carbonyl compounds with primary amines, serve as valuable precursors for the development of anticancer nanomaterials. Their incorporation into metal-based nanoparticles, polymeric systems, and liposomal carriers has expanded the possibilities for targeted and effective cancer therapy. Current evidence indicates that Schiff base nanoparticles offer notable benefits over conventional therapies, particularly in improving drug efficacy and reducing systemic toxicity. This review outlines the synthesis of Schiff bases along with the methods used to develop their nanoparticles. The discussion also covers commonly used preparation methods, approaches for physicochemical characterization, and the major biological pathways through which these nanoparticles influence cancer cell survival. Despite the progress made, a number of issues still require attention, including the need for more precise nanoparticle designs, better understanding of long-term interactions in biological environments, and clearer links between laboratory findings and clinical translation. This review summarises the current progress and highlights the potential and the limitations of Schiff base functionalized nanoparticles as future anticancer agents.

To determine whether adolescent and young adults (AYA) with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) who are treated by oncologists with "AYA expertise" improve outcomes.

All AYA aged 15-21 years diagnosed with HL in Ontario, Canada between 1992 and 2012 were identified, and clinical data abstracted as part of the IMPACT cohort. Linked administrative data were used to identify primary oncologists, defined as "AYA experts" if at diagnosis, ≥ 15% of the oncologist's previous 2 years of chemotherapy billings were for patients aged 15-29 years. Associations between seeing an AYA expert and outcomes were analysed.

Among 863 AYA with HL, 225 unique primary oncologists were identified. A total of 112 (13.0%) AYA had a primary oncologist with AYA expertise. Older patients [adjusted OR (aOR): 0.8 per year, 95% CI: 0.7-1.0; p = 0.04] and those seen in adult community hospitals [vs. regional cancer centre, aOR: 0.1, 95% CI: 0.02-0.4; p = 0.001] were less likely to see an AYA expert. Only 56 (6.4%) AYA received a fertility consult within 30 days of HL diagnosis; most occurred in the later study period (2006-2012). Seeing an AYA expert was associated with increased odds of fertility consultation (aOR: 2.1, 95% CI: 1.0-4.3; p = 0.04). Among the full cohort, there was no association between AYA expert care and event-free survival (EFS), overall survival (OS), or subsequent live birth.

A volume-based definition of AYA expertise was associated with receipt of fertility consults, but not with EFS or OS for AYA with HL. If validated in other populations and settings, seeing a volume-defined AYA expert could serve as a quality metric in AYA cancer care.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with plasmacytoid dendritic cell differentiation (pDC-AML) is a newly described subtype of leukemia with features resembling blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN).

Herein, we present a case of pDC-AML in which bone marrow findings were best classified as AML, whereas cutaneous manifestations by morphology and immunophenotype were highly suggestive of a pDC neoplasm.

A high-dose cytarabine with anthracycline backbone and venetoclax was administered based on efficacy in AML and BPDCN, respectively. The patient achieved complete remission as well as resolution of FDG-avid activity by PET-CT imaging.

This report highlights that clinical correlation with immunophenotype and molecular testing is important in distinguishing these unique entities to guide appropriate diagnosis and management.