Background and Aims. Since the war in Ukraine which began on February 2022, many pediatric oncology centers have welcomed patients from Ukraine. To understand the needs of patients and families arriving at our hospital, an anonymous questionnaire investigated the families’ backgrounds, feelings and impressions about hospitality and care. Methods Twenty items investigated how patients had reached Italy, from whom they received help (logistically/economically); emotions regarding their statusas war refugees; knowledge, expectations, and opinions about Italy and Italians; the quality of medical care received and relationships with the healthcare staff; suggestions to improve assistance. Results Questionnaires were completed by 19/32 patient/parents in the time interval May-November 2022 in two different pediatric-oncology centers in the north of Italy. Most families had reached Italy (58%) and received medical care (95%) thanks to the help of Charities and the Italian Public Health Care System. Many of them (69%) declared themselves to be satisfied by the assistance. The Italian population appeared friendly (95%) and generous (58%). The improvement of their stay correlated with the positive outcome of their children (15%), the presence of the whole family (15%), the end of the war (10%), and the overcoming of language barriers (10%) Conclusions. Taking care of children from a different country suffering the traumatic experience of fleeing their country in addition to the equally traumatic condition of cancer disease, is a huge task. Our questionnaire aimed at obtaining a better understanding of families’ conditions, not at bridging the relational gap due to different culture and experiences.

Introduction. The H3K27M-mutant diffuse midline glioma (DMG) was first included in the WHO Classification of CNS (central nervous system) tumors in 2016, and confirmed in its fifth edition. The biological behavior and dismal prognosis of this tumor resemble DIPG (diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas). Homogeneously-treated series are rarely reported. Methods. From 2016 onwards, we treated patients with DMG with radiotherapy and concomitant/adjuvant nimotuzumab/vinorelbine, plus re-irradiation at relapse, as already done for DIPG (DOI10.1007/s11060-014-1428-z). Results. We treated nine patients, seven females, median age at diagnosis of 13 years-old. Tumor sites were: thalamic in five cases, pontocerebellar in two, pineal in one, and paratrigonal with nodular/leptomeningeal dissemination in one. Three patients were biopsied, and six had partial tumor resections. Central review of the pathologists’ diagnoses was performed. The median time to local progression was 12.7 months, and the median overall survival was 17.8 months. Six patients died of tumor progression, one of cerebral bleeding whose tumor was progressing. Two were alive, one in continuous remission, the other after a relapse, at 38.6 and 46.3 months after diagnosis, respectively. Progression-free survival was 33.3% at one year. Overall survival was 88.9%, 33.3% and 22.2% at 1, 2 and 3 years, respectively. Conclusions. This is one of only a handful of reports on homogeneously-treated series. The results obtained are comparable with those seen in patients with DIPG. Given the phenotypically- and molecularly-defined setting of DMG and severe outcome in this orphan population, they should be treated and included in registries and protocols of DIPG.

During SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, oncologists manage patients at higher risk of having a severe course of this infection. This raises new questions about their correct management, as well as the difficulty of distinguishing tumor/treatments complications from those related to Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We report a case of an 11 year-old boy undergoing treatment for T cell lymphoblastic lymphoma who experienced a prolonged SARS-CoV-2 infection. Oncological therapy was continued without significant changes compared to the initially planned treatment. No relevant complications occurred. COVID-19 convalescent plasma (CP) was administered, resulting in a positive antibody titer after 24 days.