Urticaria pigmentosa and juvenile xanthogranuloma: case report and brief review of the literature

Solitary juvenile xanthogranuloma of the hypopharynx. Clinico-pathologic study in a child with β-Thalassemia Major and Cutaneous Mastocytosis

Juvenile Xanthogranuloma (JXG), the most common pediatric non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis, may rarely occur in association with Neurofibromatosis (types 1 and 2), Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia and Cutaneous Mastocytosis (CM) and, morphologically, mimics Erdheim-Chester Disease tissue lesions and ALK-positive histiocytosis. We describe a 4-year-old girl with Beta-Thalassemia Major who developed an hypopharyngeal BRAFV600E- and ALK-negative JXG and CM. JXG has been rarely reported in the aerodigestive tract and in association with CM. In this molecular era, knowledge of genetic heterogeneity of JXG and clinical scenarios in which it may develop is essential for the appropriate diagnosis and treatment of each individual patient.

Simultaneous occurrence of cutaneous mastocytosis and juvenile xanthogranuloma in a child: Random or true association?

Juvenile xanthogranuloma (JXG) and cutaneous mastocytosis (CM) are two distinct conditions that have rarely been reported in association. We report a child with CM and disseminated JXG, who showed a significant decrease in serum tryptase levels and regression of JXG lesions over time. Due to the paucity of reports, a true association between these two conditions has not been validated, although a potential induction of histiocytic lesions by mast cell degranulation has been proposed.

Presumed ocular juvenile xanthogranuloma and biopsy-proven cutaneous mastocytosis occurring sequentially in a young boy

Juvenile xanthogranuloma is a benign non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis characterized by skin lesions that tend to be self-limited. Ocular lesions can occur in juvenile xanthogranuloma, most commonly presenting as an iris granuloma. Skin lesions of juvenile xanthogranuloma may appear similar to lesions of mastocytosis. Mastocytosis includes a heterogeneous group of diseases characterized by the proliferation and abnormal infiltration of mast cells. Rubbing of cutaneous lesions leads to the release of histamine, causing the lesions to urticate. Juvenile xanthogranuloma and mastocytosis skin lesions occurring concurrently is extremely rare, with only four cases reported. Ocular juvenile xanthogranuloma and cutaneous lesions of mastocytosis have never been described in the same patient in the literature. The authors describe a patient with an ocular juvenile xanthogranuloma presenting at birth with cutaneous mastocytosis developing several years later.

Systemic mastocytosis associated with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia and xanthogranuloma

A patient with a history of non-diagnostic bone marrow biopsies presented with a red to brown maculopapular rash on the back. Biopsies confirmed multiple xanthogranulomas as well as a mastocytosis. A consequently performed bone marrow biopsy verified a systemic mastocytosis and a chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) type I.

Here, we describe for the first time in the literature a patient with three diseases occurring synchronously: CMML, xanthogranulomas and systemic mastocytosis. Two of them at a time are known to be associated and may be indicative of a common progenitor cell.

Successful bone marrow transplantation for life threatening xanthogranuloma disseminatum in neurofibromatosis type-1

A 2-yr and 9-month-old female patient with neurofibromatosis type-1 presented with hepatomegaly, anemia, thrombocytopenia, and croupy cough and diagnosed with xanthogranuloma disseminatum (XD). She failed chemotherapy consisting of steroids, 6-mercaptopurine and methotrexate. A partial response to HLH-94 therapy that included etoposide and cyclosporine A was initially observed. However, she continued to have significant organ dysfunction without further improvement at 6 months of therapy. She then received matched unrelated donor bone marrow transplantation (BMT) following carmustine, etoposide, cytarabine and melphelan conditioning with complete resolution of symptoms. BMT is an option in therapy-resistant, life threatening XD cases.

Nodular and bullous cutaneous mastocytosis of the xanthelasmoid type: case report

Severe generalized nodular and bullous mastocytosis of the xanthelasmoid type is described in a 7-month-old boy. Reddish to yellowish-brown xanthelasmoid papules and nodules first developed in the inguinal region a few weeks after birth and then progressively spread to cover nearly the entire body surface. There was severe pruritus and recurrent episodes of blistering. The diagnosis of cutaneous mastocytosis of the xanthelasmoid type with subepidermal bullae was confirmed by skin biopsies showing solid and deeply penetrating infiltrates of metachromatic mast cells under light and electron microscopy. Systemic involvement of other organs, however, was excluded by bone scintigraphy, abdominal ultrasound, bone marrow aspiration and echocardiography. The extensive skin involvement was reflected in highly elevated urinary levels of histamine (263.4 microg L(-1)) and its metabolite N-methylimidazole acetic acid (20.8 mg L(-1)). The patient was systematically well and received only symptomatic treatment. Over a period of 1 year, the condition gradually improved, and the skin lesions began to flatten and regress.

Update on juvenile xanthogranuloma: unusual cutaneous and systemic variants

Juvenile xanthogranuloma (JXG) is a well-recognized benign disorder of infancy and early childhood characterized by yellowish cutaneous nodules that spontaneously regress over months to years. In the vast majority of children, JXG is limited to the skin and requires no treatment. Over the past two decades, unusual cutaneous and systemic forms of JXG have been increasingly reported. JXGs have been discovered, usually unexpectedly, in every organ system of the body. Correct diagnosis is crucial to prevent unnecessary invasive diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Unusual clinical and histological variants of JXG often require immunohistochemical studies and/or electron microscopy to establish the diagnosis. Nonlipidized, giant, intramuscular, subcutaneous, and clustered JXG are but some of the variants that are discussed in this article. The immunohistochemistry of JXG, current nosology, and hypotheses regarding the origins of JXG are also reviewed.