Venous thromboembolism in pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia under chemotherapy treatment. Risk factors and usefulness of thromboprophylaxis. Results of LAL-SEHOP-PETHEMA-2013.

INTRODUCTION: Symptomatic venous thromboembolism (VTE) is diagnosed in 3%-14% of patients during pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) therapy. There are well-known risk factors, but the role of others as inherited thrombophilia is still controversial. Prophylaxis with low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) has been described, but its use is not globally accepted. METHODS: A retrospective multicentric study in ALL patients 1-18 years old following SEHOP-PETHEMA-2013 treatment guideline was performed to evaluate VTE rate, anticoagulant treatment, outcome, risk factors, and safety and usefulness of LMWH administration as primary thromboprophylaxis in children with inherited thrombophilia. RESULTS: A total of 652 patients were included in the study. VTE incidence was 8.7%. Most of the cases occurred during induction therapy associated with central venous catheter. Univariant analysis showed that family history of thrombosis, presence of mediastinal mass, high-risk treatment group, and inherited thrombophilia were statistically significant risk factors. LMWH administration seemed to decrease VTE rate in patients with inherited thrombophilia and those with T-cell ALL phenotype. CONCLUSION: Most of the VTE cases occurred in patients without inherited thrombophilia, but when it is present, the VTE risk is higher. LMWH administration was useful to decrease VTE in these patients.

Shock agudo secundario a un neuroblastoma congénito: Caso clmico neonatal / Acute shock secondary to congenital neuroblastoma: Neonatal case report

El neuroblastoma congénito es el tumor sólido maligno más frecuente en el período neonatal. La forma de presentación suele ser por diagnóstico prenatal o por una masa abdominal. Su estadificación permite clasificarlo en grupos de riesgo con pronóstico y tratamiento diferentes. En el período neonatal, se caracteriza por la alta tasa de regresión espontánea y el buen pronóstico (supervivencia libre de enfermedad a los 5 años superior al 90 %). Se presenta un caso clínico de neuroblastoma congénito cuya forma de presentación, shock e hipertensión, solo estaba descrita en otra ocasión antes. El tratamiento antihipertensivo, junto con la quimioterapia sistémica, produjo el control clínico y la mejoría del paciente.

Congenital neuroblastoma is the most frequent malignant solid tumor in the neonatal period. The clinical presentation is usually either by prenatal diagnosis or by palpation of an abdominal mass. Staging allows classifying it according to risk groups with a different prognosis and treatment. In the neonatal period, it is characterized by a high rate of spontaneous regression and good prognosis (disease-free survival at 5 years greater than 90 %). We present a clinical case of congenital neuroblastoma whose presentation, shock and hypertension, was only described on a previous occasion. Antihypertensive treatment along with systemic chemotherapy produced clinical control and patient improvement.

[Acute shock secondary to congenital neuroblastoma: Neonatal case report]. / Shock agudo secundario a un neuroblastoma congénito: Caso clmico neonatal.

Congenital neuroblastoma is the most frequent malignant solid tumor in the neonatal period. The clinical presentation is usually either by prenatal diagnosis or by palpation of an abdominal mass. Staging allows classifying it according to risk groups with a different prognosis and treatment. In the neonatal period, it is characterized by a high rate of spontaneous regression and good prognosis (disease-free survival at 5 years greater than 90 %). We present a clinical case of congenital neuroblastoma whose presentation, shock and hypertension, was only described on a previous occasion. Antihypertensive treatment along with systemic chemotherapy produced clinical control and patient improvement.

El neuroblastoma congénito es el tumor sólido maligno más frecuente en el período neonatal. La forma de presentación suele ser por diagnóstico prenatal o por una masa abdominal. Su estadificación permite clasificarlo en grupos de riesgo con pronóstico y tratamiento diferentes. En el período neonatal, se caracteriza por la alta tasa de regresión espontánea y el buen pronóstico (supervivencia libre de enfermedad a los 5 años superior al 90 %). Se presenta un caso clínico de neuroblastoma congénito cuya forma de presentación, shock e hipertensión, solo estaba descrita en otra ocasión antes. El tratamiento antihipertensivo, junto con la quimioterapia sistémica, produjo el control clínico y la mejoría del paciente.

Etiopathological mechanisms and clinical characteristics of hyperhemolysis syndrome in Spanish patients with thalassemia.

Hyperhemolysis syndrome (HHS) is characterized by severe intravascular hemolysis with a decrease in the reticulocyte count, which is triggered and aggravated by transfusion and cannot be explained by standard immunohematological studies. A nationwide study was conducted in order to retrospectively identify thalassemia patients with HHS in Spain in order to assess pre-disposing mechanisms for this syndrome. For this, the expression of adhesion (CD49, CD36) and complement-related molecules (C3a, CD59) and the levels of reticulocyte apoptosis and macrophage activation were measured in 4 thalassemia patients with HHS, 14 patients without HHS, and 10 healthy subjects. Five of the six thalassemia patients had δß-thalassemia. The patients were not alloimmunized prior to the syndrome, which was developed after the first transfusion in all but one case. Patients with δß-thalassemia did not respond to corticoids or immunoglobulins; only splenectomy was successful. The expression of CD49 (α4ß1 integrin) was far higher in patients who had experienced HHS (85.07 ± 18.46 vs. 46.28 ± 24.31; p < 0.01), and the difference remained significant after correcting by the number of molecules analyzed (Bonferroni p < 0.05). In our population, δß-thalassemia was the most common hemoglobinopathy in patients with HHS. Furthermore, the risk to develop this syndrome may be associated with an increased expression of α4ß1 integrin.