Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis of Bilateral Mastoid Cavity

Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis in the Nasal Bone: A Rare Case

Nasal bone involvement of Langerhans cell histiocytosis is rarely reported. Here we present a case of a 13-year-old boy with a palpable nasal mass. Ultrasonography revealed a hypoechoic mass on the left side of the nose. Both CT scanning and MRI showed an osteolytic mass. The lesion seen on MRI was well-defined mass with homogeneous enhancement. Histopathological examination of the resected specimen confirmed the diagnosis of LCH.

A Case of Langerhan's Cell Histiocytosis of Temporal Bone

We present a case of isolated Langerhans' cell histiocytosis in a six year old child who presented with right otorrhoea, retro-aural swelling and hearing loss. The preoperative provisional diagnosis was cholesteatoma, per operative differential diagnosis was rhabdomyosarcoma and final histological and immunohistochemistry diagnosis was Langerhans' cell histiocytosis.

Otologic Manifestations of Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis: A Systematic Review

OBJECTIVE

To perform a systematic review to investigate common otologic manifestations of Langerhans cell histiocytosis, the incidence of these findings, methods for diagnosis, as well as medical and surgical management.

DATA SOURCES

PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Library.

REVIEW METHODS

A search of PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Library for all articles published between 1963 to 2020 was performed with variations and combinations of the following search terms: Langerhans cell histiocytosis, eosinophilic granuloma, Letterer-Siwe, Hand-Schüller-Christian, otitis, otologic, ear. A review of the references of all included articles was also conducted.

RESULTS

Sixty-two articles encompassing 631 patients met inclusion criteria. Otologic symptoms at presentation were found in 246 (39%) patients in the reported studies with 48% reporting bilaterality. The mean age was 14.8 years with a male predominance (64%). The most common otologic presenting symptom was otorrhea (46%). A majority had the multisystem variant (52%). The most common treatment modalities were chemotherapy (52%), followed by surgery (50%), systemic steroids (45%), and radiotherapy (31%). Surgery was performed in 75.8% with unisystem involvement and in 50.6% with multisystem involvement. The most effective treatments included radiotherapy (56% success rate, 17% of treated patients), systemic steroids (44% success, 20% treated), chemotherapy (41% success, 21% treated), and surgical modalities (36% success, 19% treated).

CONCLUSIONS

Otologic manifestations that occur with the multisystem variant or are at high risk for central nervous system involvement necessitate systemic treatment. For unifocal lesions, surgery is recommended. Lastly, radiotherapy should be reserved for extensive lesions involving vital structures or presenting in older patients.

Unusual sites of bone involvement in Langerhans cell histiocytosis: a systematic review of the literature

Background

Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare disease that originates from the uncontrolled proliferation and accumulation of bone marrow-derived immature myeloid dendritic cells. Dendritic cells are a type of histiocyte that play an important role in the human immune system and are found in the bone, skin, stomach, eyes, intestines, and lungs.

Objective

This systematic review aimed to collect and report published case reports of rare bone disease caused by LCH to avoid misdiagnoses or delays in diagnosis.

Methods

We systematically searched Scopus, PubMed, Embase, and Web of Sciences from August 1, 2000 to December 31, 2019. Studies reporting cases of LCH with rare bone involvement were included.

Results

We identified 60 articles including 64 cases. Of the identified cases, 31 (48.4%) involved children, and 33 (51.6%) involved adults. Additionally, 46.9% (30 individuals) were from Asian countries. The mean age of the children was 7.6 ± 4.3 years and that of the adults was 36 ± 12 years. The findings indicated that unifocal bone involvements were the most prevalent form of the disease (68.7%), and, overall, the skull and chest wall were the most commonly affected bones in both adults and children. The spine and long bones were the second most commonly affected bones in children, and the spine and jaw were the second most commonly affected bones in adults. Pain and swelling were the most frequent presenting signs among the investigated cases, and loss of consciousness, myelopathy, nerve palsy, visual loss, torticollis and clicking sounds were rare signs. Osteolytic lesions were the most frequent radiologic feature (62.5%), and intracranial hemorrhage, fluid–fluid level, dura and intracranial extension and pathologic fractures were rare radiological features. Total excision, curettage and observation in the unifocal group of patients and systemic chemotherapy in the other groups (i.e., multifocal and multisystem) were the most frequent management approaches. The recovery rates of the unifocal and multifocal groups were 77.3% and 81.8%, respectively, while that of the multisystem group was 55.5%. The rates of recurrence and mortality in the multisystem group were 11% and were higher than those in the other groups.

Conclusions

LCH is a rare disease that can affect any organ in the human body. However, bone is the most commonly involved organ, and rare bone involvements may be the first or only symptom of the disease due to the rarity of such lesions; a lack of familiarity with them may result in misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis.