Vol. 68 No. 2 (2024): Thematic issue: "A child with a solid malignant tumor"

On the occasion of the postgraduate course "Child with a Solid Malignant Tumor," held on February 16, 2024, the lecturers have turned their presentations into articles, which we present in this thematic issue. This issue covers important topics in the field of pediatric oncology, such as pharmacogenetic profiling of pediatric oncology patients, the standards of treatment for neuroblastoma and Wilms tumor, the place of care for children with solid malignant tumors in Croatia, as well as the late effects of the treatment of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

The role of surgery and nutrition in the treatment of solid tumors in children is highlighted, along with case studies on targeted therapy with entrectinib in children with mesenchymal neoplasms with NTRK rearrangement and the use of nuclear medicine methods in the diagnosis and treatment of high-risk neuroblastoma. The short announcements cover new insights into the biology and immunotherapy of osteosarcoma, the determination of prognostic risk in tumor diseases, and the impact of oncological diseases on kidney function.

This year, we also mark the 50th anniversary of the founding of the "Mladen Ćepulić" Institute of Oncology and Hematology, a Reference Center of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Croatia for solid tumors in children. We thank all the employees and collaborators who have contributed to the development and current work of the Institute, and we look forward to continued progress for the benefit of children and families facing the challenge of malignant tumors in childhood.

Head of the "Mladen Ćepulić" Institute of Oncology and Hematology
Assoc. Prof. Jasminka Stepan Giljević, MD, PhD

Editor-in-Chief of "Paediatria Croatica"
Dr. Slaven Abdović, MD, PhD