Clinical Research Directory

Use of Virtual Reality in Pain Management in Pediatric Oncology

DOREVI is a monocentric randomized controlled study that will evaluate the efficacy of virtual reality helmets for pain prevention during invasive care on 78 oncologic pediatric patients. Two groups of children (between 6 and 11 and between 12 and 18 years old) will be randomized to use helmet plus standard care or standard care alone during invasive procedures (central venous catheter puncture, lumbar puncture, or bone marrow aspiration). The pain intensity will be evaluated using a visual analogic scale during three invasive procedures, and results will be compared between the patients with or without virtual reality.

Pediatric Midline Post Fossa Tumors Prognostic Factors and Outcomes

This study will follow children younger than 18 years with midline posterior fossa brain tumors who undergo standard surgical resection at Assiut University Hospital. The aim is to evaluate functional outcome using the modified Rankin Scale and to explore how tumor type, extent of resection, and perioperative factors are associated with postoperative morbidity and survival. Results may help improve risk stratification and guide individualized treatment strategies for pediatric patients with these tumors.

Analyse of Tumour and Constitutional DNA for the Study of the Determinism in Child Neoplasia

Background. Cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in children. Most pediatric tumors differ from adult tumors in terms of biological and clinical characteristics. In children, the part of genetic determinism could be higher since the role of environmental factors may be less pronounced than in adults and that a young age at onset is a main feature of genetic cancer predisposition. Recent studies suggested that a number of genetic predisposition remains to be characterized. Methods. Trio-Based whole exome sequencing of germline DNA from patients (children and adults diagnosed with cancers between 0 and 17 years) and parents will be performed prospectively in a multicentric study including 40 unselected cases of malignant tumor. Participating hospitals will include the CHU of Montpellier, the CHU de Nice and the AP-HP. Tumor analysis will include whole exome analysis and transcriptome for the identification of therapeutic target and contribute to confirm potential link between constitutive mutations and tumor phenotype (such as loss of expression, loss of heterozygosity). Perspectives. This pediatric oncology study proposing a global approach integrating trio-based whole exome sequencing, somatic DNA and RNA analysis will improve the recognition of genetic predisposition and the characterization of target therapies in children with cancer.