Severity of reduced bone mineral density and risk of fractures in long-term survivors of childhood leukemia and lymphoma undergoing guideline-recommended surveillance for bone health.

BACKGROUND: Survivors of childhood leukemia/lymphoma are at increased risk for reduced bone mineral density (BMD). The authors sought to determine the frequency of reduced BMD detected by off-therapy surveillance, factors associated with reduced BMD, and the association of reduced BMD with fractures. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included childhood leukemia/lymphoma survivors attending 2 survivorship clinics who received guideline-recommended BMD surveillance ≥2 years post-therapy with dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (from January 1, 2004 to August 31, 2016). Lumbar spine BMD z-scores were height-for-age-adjusted. Low and very low BMD were >1 SD and >2 SDs below norms, respectively. Treatment, chronic conditions, and fractures were abstracted from medical records. Logistic regression was used to examine the association of low BMD with patient/treatment factors and fractures. RESULTS: In total, 542 patients (51.5% female) with a mean age of 15.5 years (range, 4.4-52.2 years) who were 6 years post-therapy (range, 2.0-35.1 years) were evaluated, including 116 who reported post-therapy fractures. Lumbar spine low BMD was identified in 17.2% of survivors, and very low BMD was identified in 3.5% of survivors, but frequencies varied considerably between subgroups; 10.8% of survivors aged 15 to 19 years at diagnosis had very low BMD. In multivariable analyses, older age at diagnosis, white race, and being underweight were significantly associated with low BMD. Survivors with low BMD had greater odds of nondigit fractures (odds ratio, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.3-3.7) and specifically long-bone fractures (odds ratio, 2.7; 95% CI, 1.5-4.7). CONCLUSIONS: In this study of childhood leukemia/lymphoma survivors undergoing guideline-recommended dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry surveillance, patients who were older at diagnosis, white, and underweight were at the highest risk for lumbar spine low BMD. Low BMD was associated with a greater risk of fractures, emphasizing the clinical importance of surveillance.

Lack of mutation-histopathology correlation in a patient with Proteus syndrome.

Proteus syndrome (PS) is characterized by progressive, disproportionate, segmental overgrowth, and tumor susceptibility caused by a somatic mosaic AKT1 activating mutation. Each individual has unique manifestations making this disorder extremely heterogeneous. We correlated three variables in 38 tissue samples from a patient who died with PS: the gross affection status, the microscopic affection status, and the mutation level. The AKT1 mutation was measured using a PCR-based RFLP assay. Thirteen samples were grossly normal; six had detectable mutation (2-29%) although four of these six were histopathologically normal. Of the seven grossly normal samples that had no mutation, only four were histologically normal. The mutation level in the grossly abnormal samples was 3-35% and all but the right and left kidneys, skull, and left knee bone, with mutation levels of 19%, 15%, 26%, and 17%, respectively, had abnormal histopathology. The highest mutation level was in a toe bone sample whereas the lowest levels were in the soft tissue surrounding that toe, and an omental fat nodule. We also show here that PS overgrowth can be caused by cellular proliferation or by extracellular matrix expansion. Additionally, papillary thyroid carcinoma was identified, a tumor not previously associated with PS. We conclude that gross pathology and histopathology correlate poorly with mutation levels in PS, that overgrowth can be mediated by cellular proliferation or extracellular matrix expansion, and that papillary thyroid carcinoma is part of the tumor susceptibility of PS. New methods need to be developed to facilitate genotype-phenotype correlation in mosaic disorders. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.