Bleomycin-induced hyperpigmentation and hypersensitivity reactions to etoposide and vinblastine in a child with endodermal sinus tumor

We report a pediatric case who developed bleomycin-induced hyperpigmentation and hypersensitivity reactions to both etoposide and vinblastine while receiving chemotherapy for germ cell tumor. Skin hyperpigmentation related to chemotherapeutic agents has been reported only rarely in pediatric patients. This patient developed a characteristic skin hyperpigmentation which was "flagellate" in appearance. Two features of the hyperpigmentation were noteworthy: development at a low cumulative dose of bleomycin and persistence after cessation of chemotherapy. Additive effect of cisplatinum-induced hyperpigmentation was suggested. Although hypersensitivity reactions to etoposide have been previously reported, hypersensitivity reactions to vinblastine are almost unknown. To our knowledge, this is the first report of hypersensitivity reaction to vinblastine in a child in English literature

Atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor in an infant conceived by in vitro fertilization

Atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor (ATsRT) is a rare tumor and extremely aggressive embryonal neoplasm of the central nervous system. Brain tumors in infant are suggestive of some oncogenic prenatal factors

Aneurysmal bone cyst of rib presenting as a huge chest wall mass.

Gunes D, Mutafoglu-Uysal K, Sarialioglu F, Cakmakci H, Olgun N. Aneurysmal bone cyst of rib presenting as a huge chest wall mass. Turk J Pediatr 2009; 51: 82-85

Malignant pleural mesothelioma in a child: long-term survival with ICE-WAC chemotherapy regimen

Malignant mesothelioma is a very rare tumor in childhood. Presently, treatment of this disease continues to be frustrating and prognosis remains poor. We here report a pediatric case of malignant pleural mesothelioma. who gave a complete response to ICE-VAC chemotherapy regimen and achieved a longterm survival. An eight-year-old girl underwent exploratory thoracotomy and decortication because of a unilateral loculated and multicystic pleural effusion. Histopathological diagnosis was sarcomatoid pleural malignant mesothelioma. After decortication, chemotherapy with ICE (ifosfamide, carboplatin, etoposide) - VAC (vincristine, adriamycin, cyclophosphamide) combination was started. Six courses of chemotherapy resulted in complete clinical and radiological tumor response. She did not receive any further therapy and remains disease-free three years after the first remission. ICE-VAC chemotherapy combination resulted in a complete tumor response and a long-term disease-free survival for the presented case. The efficacy of this chemotherapy regimen in malignant mesothelioma needs to be documented in future trials

Phyllodes tumor of the breast in an adolescent girl

Phyllodes tumor (PT) is an uncommon tumor in adolescent girls and young women. A case of PT in a 14-year-old girl is reported. The clinical examination showed a painless tumor that had grown during 10 months. Total excision of the mass with wide margin was performed. The diagnosis, behavior, and treatment of this rare tumor are discussed

Veno-occlusive disease in a child with rhabdomyosarcoma after conventional chemotherapy: Report of a case and review of the literature

Although veno-occlusive disease of the liver is a well-known complication of high-dose chemotherapy and bone marrow transplantation, it has rarely been observed in children who receive conventional chemotherapy. Most cases in the literature consists of children with Wilms tumor. It has been very uncommon in rabdomyosarcoma patients until recently, although they commonly receive similar anticancer agents. Here the authors report a 2-year-old boy with rhabdomyosarcoma who developed veno-occlusive disease while receiving VAC (vincristine, actinomycin D, cyclophosphamide) chemotherapy regimen according to the IRS-IV protocol. The patient gradually recovered during 2 weeks with supportive treatment only

The incidence of congenital malformations in children with cancer

We evaluated the incidence of congenital malformations in 566 children (median age: 8, M:F 1.3) with lymphomas and solid tumors using patient records. in this study, 12.7% of children either had a congenital malformation (7.8%) or a birthmark (4.9%). The incidence of patients with a childhood cancer syndrome was 3% and these cases developed typical tumors. The rate of consanguineous marriages was 12.6%, and family history of cancer was positive in 31.2%. Median age at cancer diagnosis, gender, maternal age, history of stillbirth and missed abortion, consanguinity of parents, and family history of cancer were not significantly different in cases with and without a congenital malformation. The most frequent cancers were central nervous system tumors and lymphomas. No remarkable association between a particular anomaly and a specific cancer type could be shown. The high incidence of congenital anomalies in this study may stimulate future large cohort studies in our country

Platinum-Induced Ototoxicity in Children and Adolescents with Cancer

Objective: To evaluate hearing impairment in children with cancer who received platinum compounds