Mechanical Hemolytic Anemia Associated With Mitral Valve Repair: A Case Report With Literature Review.

Hemolytic anemia could be caused by several conditions, depending on intrinsic or extrinsic defects of the erythrocyte. The latter group includes mechanical intravascular hemolysis, generally related to malfunctioning prosthetic heart valves or, rarely, heart valves repair. We describe a case of a child with Down syndrome, who developed hemolytic anemia after mitral valve repair. We observed that this condition is a rare complication in pediatrics, with only 7 cases reported in literature. Mechanical hemolysis should always be considered in the differential diagnosis of a new-onset hemolytic anemia, especially in patients with valvular heart disease, undergoing cardiac surgery.

Extranodal Biphenotypic Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma of the Popliteal Cavity: A Case Report and Review of Literature.

Primary soft-tissue lymphoma (PSTL) is a rare extranodal non-Hodgkin lymphoma, characterized by a mass growing within soft-tissue, which is connective tissue, adipose tissue, and skeletal muscle. Here, we describe a case of biphenotypic lymphoblastic lymphoma arising from soft tissue of the popliteal fossa in an 11-year-old boy. A pediatric review about PSTL revealed that anaplastic large cell lymphoma is the most common histological type and a biphenotypic lymphoblastic lymphoma has not yet been reported in childhood. Lymphoma should always be considered in patients presenting with a soft-tissue mass, and a comprehensive immunohistochemical evaluation, including B-cell, T-cell, and myeloid markers, is needed to make a correct diagnosis and establish the most suitable treatment.

Primary breast lymphoma of childhood: a case report and review of literature.

BACKGROUND: Primary breast lymphoma (PBL) is an extremely rare neoplasm in children; by definition, it manifests in the breast without evidence of lymphoma elsewhere, except ipsilateral axillary nodes. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a case of a 15-year-old girl diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) of the right breast: the patient received chemotherapy and rituximab, achieving complete remission. A literature review revealed other 11 cases of pediatric PBL; it mainly affects female adolescents and can involve right and left breast equally. Different histologic subtypes have been described, arising from both B-cell and T-cell. Therapeutic approaches were very different, from chemotherapy to local treatment with surgery and/or radiotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: Our case is the first in which rituximab was administered, suggesting to be a promising therapy in B-cell PBL, as already demonstrated in pediatric B-cell lymphoma from other sites. Further investigations are needed to identify prognostic factors and establish the most effective treatment.