| If the images and links are not loading properly, please use the URL below to view this newsletter in HTML. http://www.texaschildrens.org/AllAbout/International/Newsletter/Spring_06.html | |||||
 |
|||||
| International News - Spring 2006 | |||||
|
In this issue: Teen undergoes marathon surgery to
remove cancerous tumors Parents attend congenital heart
disease conference What you need to know about
rotavirus |
|||||
|
|
|||||
|
Teen undergoes marathon surgery to remove cancerous tumors Fifteen-year-old Chelsey recently underwent a 27-hour surgery at Texas Children's Cancer Center to remove cancerous tumors that planted themselves in her abdomen adjacent to large arteries, the lung, liver, pancreas and the adrenal gland. The marathon surgery was just one of the hurdles this teen from Texas has endured since she was diagnosed with cancer in October 2005. This former cheerleader and homecoming queen has gone through multiple rounds of chemotherapy. “Chelsey has a very rare form of childhood cancer called undifferentiated sarcoma,” said Dr. Mehmet F. Okcu, pediatric oncologist with Texas Children’s Cancer Center and Chelsey’s main physician. “It’s a cancer of the soft tissues and is treated with a combination of chemotherapy, radiation and surgery.” Chelsey had 15 separate lesions and all but two of her tumors removed during surgery. One is deep within her liver and the other is wrapped around an artery close to her liver. Dr. Oluyinka Olutoye, co-surgical director at Texas Children’s, performed the operation. The treatment plan for the remaining tumors is chemotherapy and radiation, with another surgery as the last option. Very few children survive a diagnosis of metastatic undifferentiated sarcoma. Like most childhood cancers, doctors and researchers cannot pinpoint the cause of undifferentiated sarcoma. “While one can distinguish several lifestyle-related risk factors such as tobacco or alcohol use in some cancers of adults, in only less than 5 percent of childhood cancers we can identify a cause such as a genetic condition in the family or history of radiation therapy,” said Okcu. |
|||||
|
|
|||||
|
Parents attend congenital
heart disease conference Approximately 220 parents and grandparents of children with congenital heart defects attended the 2nd Annual Conference on “Living With Congenital Heart Disease,” hosted on Saturday, Feb. 25, by Texas Children's Heart Center and Baylor College of Medicine. Guest speaker, R.C. Slocum, the “winningest” football coach in Texas A&M’s history and now Special Advisor to the President of Texas A&M, shared personal stories of his son’s struggle through childhood with a congenital heart defect. Slocum’s son, John Harvey Slocum – now married with a 15-month-old son of his own – underwent heart surgery at Texas Children's to close a hole in his heart. The one-day conference, presented in English and Spanish, included developmental topics from psychologists, nutritionists and learning specialists. Additionally, pediatric heart and genetic physicians addressed medical topics such as, “How Genetics Can Help Us,” by Dr. Jeffrey Towbin and Dr. John Belmont; “Practical Points in the Care of Children with CHD,” by Dr. Carolyn Altman; “How Cardiac Catheterization Can Help with Your Child’s Care,” by Dr. Henri Justino; and “The Anatomy of a Heart Surgery,” by Dr. Charles D. Fraser, Jr. |
|||||
|
|
|||||
|
What you need to know about rotavirus Parents of babies and young children should watch for rotavirus, a highly contagious viral infection that easily and rapidly spreads through families, day cares, schools and playgroups, and accounts for 500,000 doctor visits and 50,000 hospitalizations annually for children under 5, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Rotavirus causes fever, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal cramps. The viral illness, which lasts from three to nine days, will affect most children by the time they turn 5. Read more about rotavirus |
|||||
|
|
|||||
|
There's still time:
|
|||||
|
|
|||||
|
Education for health care professionals
Ongoing, free online continuing medical
education
Presented by Baylor College of Medicine
Topic: Evaluation of the Child with the
First Seizure by Marvin Fishman, M.D.
Topic: Pediatric Assent and
Confidentiality in Clinical Practice by Laurence B. McCullough,
Ph.D., and Fernando Stein, M.D.
June 12-16, 2006, Acute Care Pediatrics for the Primary Care
Practitioner Bookmark our professional education page to get regular updates to the Texas Children's professional education calendar. |
|||||
|
|
|||||
|
Subscriber information Learn more about International Services at Texas Children's Hospital. Share your comments, questions or suggestions by e-mail to Internationalnews@texaschildrenshospital.org. The largest pediatric hospital in the United States, Texas Children's is ranked among the top four children's hospitals by U.S. News & World Report and Child magazine. Texas Children's is affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine. To learn more about Texas Children's, visit www.texaschildrens.org. |
|||||
|
|
|||||
|
© 2005 Texas Children's Hospital | Terms of Use |
|||||
