(MENAFNEditorial) According to the American Cancer Society, Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) accounts for about 6% of all childhood cancers. Hodgkin disease accounts for about another 4 % . Although adult lymphomas have been widely investigated for prediction of treatment response, the literature concerning children, particularly in the Middle East, is still limited. An on-going study performed in Egypt is currently assessing the response to treatment for paediatric lymphoma.
Dr Eman Marie, Teaching Assistant, Diagnostic Radiology and Medical Imaging, Tanta University, Faculty of Medicine, Egypt, will be deliberating paediatric lymphomas in children in the Middle East at the 11th Middle East Update in Otolaryngology Conference & Exhibition - Head and Neck Surgery (ME-OTO). The event will be held on 20-22 April 2014 at the Madinat Jumeirah Arena, Dubai, UAE.
"In Egypt, childhood lymphoma represents 1.3% of all incident cancers (directly attributable to a particular incidence or behaviour) and 28.7% of all childhood cancer occupying the second rank among all childhood malignancies. Therapeutic options include various combinations of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Excellent survival rates after treatment for paediatric lymphoma have motivated research efforts towards the minimisation of long-term side effects that lead to impaired quality of life," says Dr Marie.
The most common solid tumours of the head and neck in children are lymphomas. The presenting signs of such tumours are a mass in the neck in nodal lymphomas, or involvement of extranodal sites such as Waldeyer's ring, maxillary sinus or parotid glands.
According to Dr Marie, "An ongoing observational prospective cohort study is currently performed as a feature of cooperation between Tanta University Faculty of Medicine and Child Cancer Hospital for Egypt. This study is to evaluate the predictive value of early interim PET/CT in head and neck pediatric lymphoma for assessment of response to treatment in comparison to information provided by conventional imaging methods (CIM). Imaging of 100 children with head and neck involvement in both Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma is performed at baseline and at interim (after 1or 2 cycles of chemotherapy). The response assessment in PET is carried out visually and semi-quantitatively, the latter one by use of percentage decrease in the maximum standardized uptake value SUVmax from baseline to interim (ΔSUVmax). The PET-based results will be compared to the findings by CIM."
While data from other Middle Eastern countries is scarce, the Saudi Ministry of Health discusses the treatment options for paediatric cancer on their website. The website explains that 'it is very important to gather as much information as possible on childhood cancer and size of infected tissues in order to deliver the best treatment. Based on cancer type, infection stage and child's age, treatment is a complex process that can be changed whenever new information becomes available.'
Running alongside the ME-OTO conference is an exhibition with more than 57 exhibitors showcasing the latest technologies and product launches from manufacturers and distributors from 18 countries within the ENT field. Products such as hearing aids, laser machines, microsurgical instruments and sleep apnoea devices will be on display from companies such as Karl Storz, Olympus and Oticon.
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