Children with cervical lymphadenopathy: reactive or not?

BACKGROUND: This study aims to evaluate the etiology of cervical lymphadenopathies in children and to define the significance of demographic, clinical, and laboratory features in the prediction of malignancy. METHODS: Medical records of 527 patients were reviewed retrospectively between 2015 and 2019. The patients were examined in terms of demographics, clinical, radiologic, and serologic findings. A lymph node biopsy was performed in selected patients. The risk factors for malignancy were evaluated. RESULTS: Out of 527 children, 26 had neck masses mimicking lymphadenopathy; 501 had lymphadenopathy. The most common location was the anterior cervical region and the median age was 5.7 years. Thirty-nine patients had malignancy (lymphoma in 34, nasopharyngeal carcinoma in 3, leukemia in 1 and neuroblastoma in 1). The risk of malignancy was associated with older age, duration of > 4 weeks, lymph node size > 3 cm, supraclavicular location, presence of systemic symptoms, and hepatosplenomegaly (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p < 0.001). On laboratory evaluation, anemia, leukocytosis, and increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate were found to be associated with malignancy (p < 0.001, p=0.003, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Cervical lymphadenopathies in children are generally benign but patients with persisting cervical lymphadenopathy, adolescent age, accompanying systemic symptoms and abnormal laboratory findings should be considered for an early biopsy.

Revaccination in Pediatric Oncology Patients: One Center Experience.

OBJECTIVE: After chemotherapy, cancer survivors suffer from acquired immunological defects and become vulnerable to vaccine-preventable diseases. There are no universally approved revaccination guidelines for non-transplanted oncology patients. This study aimed to share our experience of revaccination in childhood cancer survivors to plan future vaccination schedules. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted in a Pediatric Oncology Department of a university-affiliated hospital. Patients who were diagnosed with malignancy other than leukemia constituted the study population. Patients were directed for revaccination 6 months after the cessation of treatment. Revaccination was performed according to patients' vaccination status before chemotherapy and seronegativity. RESULTS: Of the 64 patients in the study, 44 (68.75%) were boys. The mean age at the time of diagnosis and at start of vaccination was 8.8±5.3 years and 10.6±5.1 years, respectively. Hodgkin's lymphoma was the most common diagnosis. The vaccination schedule of 7 patients was interrupted because of chemotherapy; after completing the missing vaccine doses, the serology of 2 patients was negative for at least 2 antigens. The vaccination schedule of 57 patients was completed before beginning chemotherapy and 52 of them were seronegative for at least 1 antigen. No adverse reactions or life-threatening infections were observed because of vaccinations. CONCLUSION: There are different approaches when vaccinating the oncology patients after chemotherapy. Watching out for the four touchstones mentioned in our study will protect the patient and do no harm. More studies are needed to constitute universal and standardized revaccination guidelines for these patients.

Successful treatment of pediatric post-liver transplant Kaposi`s sarcoma with paclitaxel.

BACKGROUND: Kaposi`s sarcoma (KS) is a complication of immunosuppressive therapy for transplant recipients. Unlike adult recipients, KS in pediatric organ transplantation is quite rare. Treatment is usually withdrawal of immunosuppression; non-responders often receive chemotherapy. CASE: We have reported a child with post-liver transplant visceral KS which has progressed despite withdrawal of immunosuppressive therapy, who has been treated with Paclitaxel for three weeks. KS has regressed completely after four cycles of Paclitaxel. CONCLUSION: Paclitaxel should be considered as an effective first line treatment option for patients with posttransplant KS.

Risk Factor Assessment and a Ten-Year Experience of DDH Screening in a Well-Child Population.

AIM: Risk based screening for developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) with ultrasound is common. However, risk factors vary from one country to the other since data are insufficient to give clear recommendations. We aimed to evaluate the risk factors for developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). METHODS: In this retrospective case-control study, the health records of all children, who were followed up between 2004 and 2014 at a well-child unit, were investigated for the diagnosis of DDH in Turkey. Of 9758 children, 57 children were found to have abnormal ultrasonographic findings (according to Graf classification) and these constituted the case group. As the control group, healthy 228 children who matched the case children in birth months were selected. Two groups were compared for the risk factors. RESULTS: A total of 19516 hips of 9758 children were examined for DDH. 97 hips of 57 children were found to have abnormal ultrasonographic findings. When the two groups were compared, breech presentation, multiple pregnancy, and torticollis were identified as risk factors. The female sex was also found to have a significantly high prevalence among the children in the case group. Limited hip abduction, positive Ortolani, and Barlow signs were important clinical findings in the case group. CONCLUSION: According to our findings, breech presentation, female sex, torticollis, and multiple pregnancy were found to be the risk factors of this disorder. Infants with these risk factors should be investigated carefully for DDH.