Lymphomatoid granulomatosis in a child with acute lymphatic leukemia in remission

Lymphomatoid Granulomatosis in a 14-Year-Old Boy with Trisomy 21 and History of B-Lymphoblastic Leukemia/Lymphoma

BACKGROUND

Lymphomatoid granulomatosis is a EBV-driven lymphoproliferative disorder that has been reported in association with immunodeficiency, but only exceptionally in patients with hematopoietic malignancy.

CASE REPORT

A 14-year-old boy with trisomy-21 and a history of B-lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma (B-ALL) diagnosed 1.5 years prior, on maintenance chemotherapy, presented with fever and respiratory symptoms. Chest X-ray revealed right-lower-lobe consolidation. He was treated for pneumonia but continued to be febrile with worsening respiratory status, with development of additional pulmonary and liver nodules. No infectious etiology was identified. Following nondiagnostic lung and liver biopsies, the largest pulmonary mass was resected. The histopathologic findings were diagnostic of lymphomatoid granulomatosis. There was no residual B-ALL. The patient's status continued to deteriorate and he died shortly thereafter.

CONCLUSION

Relative immunosuppression due to maintenance therapy for B-ALL can lead to lymphomatoid granulomatosis.

Childhood lymphomatoid granulomatosis: a report of 2 cases and review of the literature

Lymphomatoid granulomatosis (LG) is a B-cell type lymphoproliferative disease. It mainly affects the lungs but may have extrapulmonary manifestations, especially in the central nervous system. The purpose of this study was to review the pediatric cases in the literature and add 2 new cases to the existing literature. A review of the literature was performed on children (0 to 18 years of age at diagnosis) with pathologically proven LG. We found 47 case reports, which, together with 2 new cases, were systematically analyzed. The median age was 12 years. The main symptoms were general, pulmonary, and neurological. Approximately one third of the patients were immunocompromised. High mortality rate was observed. Pediatric LG is a rare disease, which appears to be more frequently seen in immunocompromised patients, especially patients with leukemia. The disease has a high mortality rate; therefore, aggressive therapy according to a high-grade B-cell lymphoma protocol is justified.

A pediatric case of lymphomatoid granulomatosis with onset after completion of chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia

In this case report, we present a pediatric case of lymphomatoid granulomatosis (LG) with onset just after the completion of chemotherapy for childhood acute myeloid leukemia (AML). After the completion of maintenance therapy, the patient was admitted to our clinic with a complaint of cough. Radiologic examinations revealed nodular lesions in lungs, liver, and kidney. His bone marrow was in remission. The histopathologic examination of the open lung biopsy was consistent with LG. He received only one cycle of cyclophosphamide and high-dose methyl prednisolone treatment and continued to receive interferon (IFN) alpha-2b therapy for 18 months. This treatment regimen resulted in an excellent response. In conclusion, LG may occur after the treatment of pediatric AML as a rare complication and IFN alpha-2b may be an effective treatment choice in these patients.

Voice change in the pediatric patient. A differential diagnosis

This paper reviews the causes of voice change in the infant and child. Symptoms of dysphonia can be very early evidence of a serious problem, either within the larynx or resulting from a systemic disease. The need to investigate the cause of voice disturbances is stressed. The large number of diseases in which voice change occurs makes a complete examination of the child, both local and systemic, absolutely necessary in order to arrive at a specific diagnosis. The mechanism of voice change is described in each category of the numerous causes of dysphonia.

Pancreatic carcinoma in a ten-year survivor of acute myeloblastic leukemia

Adenocarcinoma of the pancreas developed in a young man who was a 10-year survivor of acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML). His extensive cytotoxic chemotherapy for AML is reviewed along with a discussion of its possible oncogenic effects. Other case reports of second malignant neoplasms (SMN) following acute leukemia are cited; available data suggest that the overall risk of SMN in AML may be in the range of 6%. While our patient's second malignancy may have been a chance association, his and other cases of pancreatic carcinoma in young survivors of hematologic neoplasia suggest that the cytotoxic treatment may have had a role in the pathogenesis of the pancreatic carcinoma.