Clinical Epidemiology Research to Improve Treatment Outcomes and Supportive Care in Pediatric AML
Background
Pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML) accounts for more than half of pediatric leukemia deaths. Treatment includes multiple intensive courses of chemotherapy that severely compromise a patient's immune system. Bacteremia during the period of post-chemotherapy neutropenia are one of the leading causes of treatment-related mortality among AML patients, but there is little clinical evidence for whether management of neutropenia therapy should occur in an outpatient or inpatient setting. Anthracycline-containing treatment regimens have contributed to the significant improvement in pediatric AML overall survival in the last few decades; however, they are also associated with cardiotoxicity that compromises short and long-term morbidity, mortality and quality of life.
Project Goal
The first project I will support during my summer research experience aims to compare the incidence of bacteremia and likelihood for chemotherapy delays in children managed at home with those remaining in the hospital. The second project aims to determine risk factors and incidence of early onset cardiac dysfunction and to investigate the cardio protective benefit of dexrazoxane in pediatric AML.
Mentored by Dr. Kelly Getz
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
