Stacey Marjerrison

McMaster University | McMaster · Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology

Introduction: Childhood cancer survivors are at risk for late effects of therapy, some of which may be exacerbated by smoking, alcohol, or drug use. We undertook a meta-analysis of the literature to determine whether survivors engage in risk-taking behaviors at rates different from their peers/siblings. Methods: Studies comparing current engagem...

Purpose Traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM) strategies are commonly used in pediatric oncology. Patterns may vary based on country income. We systematically reviewed published studies describing T&CM use among pediatric oncology patients in low-income countries (LIC/LMIC), middle-income countries (UMIC), and high-income countries (HIC). O...

Significant strides have been made in the treatment of childhood cancer. Improvements in survival have led to increased attention toward supportive care indications; including the use of traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM). The use of T&CM among children and adolescents with cancer is well documented in both high-income countries (HICs) a...

KEY POINTS • Indigenous methods and methodologies are increasingly recognized as valuable tools to improve research practices and outcomes. • Ethical guidelines, community-based and partnership approaches, and reflexive allyship are transforming how researchers approach Indigenous health research. • When reporting on Indigenous health outcomes, it...

Purpose: Physical activity (PA) habits of young adult survivors of childhood cancer (SCC) have not been well-characterized, and it is unclear whether PA has a relationship with the health status of young adult SCC. The objective of this study was to determine PA participation of young adult SCC and examine associations between PA participation and...

Late effects such as neurocognitive issues and fatigue have been reported in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (cALL) survivors. Yet, their association is often poorly understood. In this study, we wished to (1) describe neurocognitive difficulties and fatigue in a well-characterized cohort of long-term cALL survivors and (2) explore the risk...

Context There is no universal definition of cancer-related fatigue (CRF) specific to childhood cancer survivors, despite this population facing unique long-term side effects from their cancer. We aimed to synthesize and combine existing definitions of CRF specific to this context to inform on the necessity of a panel of experts to formulate a new d...

Objectives Food insecurity (FI) is associated with a number of adverse child health outcomes and increased emergency department (ED) use. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the financial hardship faced by many families. We sought to determine the prevalence of FI among children with ED visits, compare this to pre-pandemic rates, and describe associa...

For health inequities to be successfully addressed through health research, it is necessary for researchers to strive for genuine engagement with stakeholders. Indigenous people provide critical perspectives in Indigenous health research. The objective of this review was to systematically review the existing pediatric Indigenous health research in...

Background Food insecurity (FI), defined as inadequate or insecure access to food, is a key determinant of child health. FI is associated with a number of adverse physical, psychological and developmental health outcomes and increased emergency department (ED) use. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated financial hardship faced by many families with...

Background There is a paucity of evidence to support interventions that address the social needs of children and families with chronic medical conditions. The primary objective of this pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) is to assess the feasibility of an intervention that screens for and addresses the social needs of children and families enro...

Introduction: There is lack of diagnostic and treatment resources with variable access to childhood cancer treatment in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), which may lead to subsequent poor survival. The primary aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and types of traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM) used in Cameroon. Secon...

Childhood and adolescent brain tumor survivors are at risk for long-term consequences of therapy. We reviewed adherence to long-term follow-up (LTFU) guidelines, assessed provider perspectives, and studied the needs, experience and quality of life (QOL) of pediatric malignant brain tumor survivors in the McMaster Children's Hospital Neuro-Oncology...

Introduction There is lack of diagnostic and treatment resources with variable access to childhood cancer treatment in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), which may lead to subsequent poor survival. The primary aim of this study is to determine the prevalence and types of T&CM used in Cameroon. Secondarily, we explored determinants of T&CM use...

OBJECTIVES Pediatric brain tumour survivors are at risk of long-term consequences of therapy. Comprehensive late effects care may mitigate these risks, but the best care model is unclear. We sought to describe the care experience and quality of life (QOL) of pediatric brain tumour survivors at the McMaster Children’s Hospital joint adult/pediatric...

BACKGROUND Childhood and adolescent brain tumor survivors are at risk for considerable late morbidity and mortality from their disease and the treatment they receive. Surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy and tumor location all have the potential to impact the physical, psychological, functional and social health of these survivors. Comprehensiv...

Background Despite known clinical risk factors, predicting anthracycline cardiotoxicity remains challenging. Objectives This study sought to develop a clinical and genetic risk prediction model for anthracycline cardiotoxicity in childhood cancer survivors. Methods We performed exome sequencing in 289 childhood cancer survivors at least 3 years f...

Background: Despite known clinical and genetic risk factors, predicting anthracycline cardiotoxicity remains challenging. Objective: To develop a risk prediction model for anthracycline cardiotoxicity in childhood cancer survivors. Methods: We performed exome sequencing in 289 childhood cancer survivors at least 3 years from anthracycline exposure....

Traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM) strategies are commonly used by pediatric cancer patients. Nutritional approaches to T&CM include bioactive compounds, supplements, and herbs as well as dietary approaches. Pediatric cancer patients and their families commonly request and use nutritional T&CM strategies. We review the potential risks an...

La recherche en santé a tendance à être basée sur les déficits ; en tant que chercheurs, généralement nous quantifions ou qualifions l'absence de marqueurs de santé ou la présence d'une maladie. Cela peut créer un récit ayant des effets d'une grande portée pour les communautés déjà victimes de stigmatisation. Dans le contexte de la recherche en san...

Background We aimed to provide health practitioners greater insight into the public perception of traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM) use. Our objectives were to identify news media reports of children abandoning conventional treatment for traditional and complementary medicine, analyze the thematic content of these news articles and esti...

Search strategy. Search strategy for primary searches. (DOCX)

Background: Chimeric antigen receptor T-cells (CAR-T) have emerged as a promising treatment for children with relapsed/refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). While CAR-T outcomes have been published, little data exist on how to manage these patients for the weeks to months between T-cell collection and CAR-T infusion. Unlike stem cell trans...

Purpose: Traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM) use in children with cancer is well established among high-income, upper middle-income, low-middle-income, and low-income countries (HIC, UMIC, LMIC, LIC, respectively). In HIC, a developing body of evidence exists for several T&CM therapies; however, evidence in other income settings is less...

Physical inactivity has been shown to exacerbate negative side effects experienced by pediatric patients undergoing cancer therapy. Exercise interventions are being created in response. This review summarizes current exercise intervention data in the inpatient pediatric oncology setting. Two independent reviewers collected literature from three dat...

Objectives: The best model of care for long-term follow-up of survivors of childhood cancer is uncertain. We describe the care experience provided by the joint adult/pediatric AfterCare Clinic at the McMaster Children's Hospital. Secondary outcomes include an evaluation of cancer worry, self-management skills, and loss to follow-up rates. Methods...

Traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM) strategies are widely utilized in pediatric oncology, with many families reporting T&CM use with the intention to cure cancer. Study of T&CM agents presents many challenges, as a heterogeneous group of agents and techniques are used for a variety of different purpose in many different oncologic conditio...

Background/objectives: Childhood cranial radiation has irreversible neurocognitive effects. Hyperfractionated radiation therapy (HFX) for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) was randomized against conventionally fractionated radiation therapy (CFX) in the DFCI 87-01/91-01 trials attempting to minimize these effects. When neurocognitive testing 8-ye...

Background: Pediatric cancer distribution and outcomes have not been examined in Canadian Aboriginal children. The objective of this study was to describe the distribution, event-free survival, and overall survival of Aboriginal children with malignancies who reside in Ontario compared with non-Aboriginal children. Methods: This population-based...

Background: Relapsed childhood acute myeloid leukemia (AML) outcomes have not been documented in resource-limited settings. We examined survival after relapse for children with AML (non-APML) and acute promyelocytic leukemia (APML) in Central America. Procedure: We retrospectively evaluated outcomes of children with first relapse of AML (non-APML)...

Background: Outcomes for relapsed childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) have not been documented in resource-limited settings. This study examined survival after relapse for children with ALL in Central America. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed and included children with first relapse of ALL in Guatemala, Honduras, or E...

Background As ultrasound (US) has become more widely available in sub-Saharan Africa, emerging evidence suggests that the prevalence of abdominal disease in endemic Burkitt lymphoma (eBL) is higher than previous estimates. This retrospective chart review was designed to assess: (1) abdominal US utilisation, (2) the incidence of abdominal disease at...

To examine the prevalence of food insecurity in households with a child with insulin-requiring diabetes mellitus (DM), investigate whether food insecurity is associated with poorer DM control, and describe the household characteristics and coping strategies of food-insecure families with a child with DM. Telephone interviews were conducted with con...