Israel Fernandez-Pineda

Long‐term outcome of vincristine–aspirin–ticlopidine (VAT) therapy for vascular tumors associated with kasabach–merritt phenomenon

. This study aimed to clarify the combinatorial treatment effect of agents as aspirin and ticlopidine associated with vincristine in the management of Kasabach–Merritt phenomenon (KMP), a severe thrombocytopenic coagulopathy that occurs in the presence of an enlarging vascular tumor such as kaposiform hemangioendothelioma (KHE) and tufted angioma (TA).

Vaginal tumors in childhood: the experience of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE The aim of this study was to retrospectively analyze the clinical presentation, histology, treatment, and outcomes of children with vaginal tumors who were treated at a single institution. METHODS A retrospective review of medical records and pathologic materials of all children with vaginal tumors treated at St Jude Childrens Research Hospital between 1970 and 2009 was conducted. RESULTS Eighteen patients (median age, 3.7 years; range, 0.1-15 years) were identified. Three different histologies were found: rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS; n = 13), germ cell tumor (n = 3), and clear cell adenocarcinoma (n = 2). Bleeding or blood-tinged discharge was the most common clinical presentation (66%), followed by a protruding mass (39%). Vaginal and uterine salvage was 44.4% (8 of 18 patients). Thirteen patients (72.2%) remain disease-free, with a median follow-up of 23.2 years (range, 2-39 years). Four patients (22.2%) died of disease progression (1 RMS, 2 germ cell tumor, and 1 clear cell adenocarcinoma), and 1 patient with RMS died of colon cancer 12 years after the primary diagnosis had been made. CONCLUSIONS Vaginal tumors are extremely rare in the pediatric population. Early recognition of symptoms like bleeding and a protruding vaginal mass may prevent morbidity and mortality. Our findings confirm the good prognosis of vaginal RMS.

Thoracoscopic resection of computed tomography-localized lung nodules in children

PURPOSE Detection and treatment of small lung nodules are important in managing pediatric cancer. We studied the effectiveness of preoperative localization of pulmonary nodules by CT-guided needle hook wire placement followed by thoracoscopic resection in children with cancer. METHODS We reviewed records of patients who underwent thoracoscopic resection of lung nodules localized preoperatively with CT-guided needle and hook wire placement at our hospital between March 1999 and April 2010 for nodule characteristics and outcomes of procedure. RESULTS Thirty-seven patients (median age, 14years) with osteosarcoma or other cancers underwent thoracoscopic resection of needle-localized lung nodules. Lesion (median nodule size, 4mm) location was left lung (n=11), right lung (n=19), and bilateral (n=7). The procedure was successful in 36 (97.3%) patients. Five patients had a pneumothorax after localization but none required chest tube placement before thoracoscopy. All patients underwent thoracoscopy, but 4 required conversion to open thoracotomy. During thoracoscopic inspection, the hook wire slipped out of the lesion in 6 patients, of whom 1 needed thoracotomy to locate nodule. Lesions (malignant in 13 patients) were removed in all patients. Five patients with benign lesions had recurrent malignant lung nodules. CONCLUSIONS Thoracoscopic resection of preoperatively localized small lung nodules is a safe and effective procedure in children.

Childhood hemangiopericytoma: review of St Jude Children's Research Hospital.

BackgroundHemangiopericytoma (HPC) is a heterogeneous, highly vascularized malignant soft-tissue neoplasm with 2 different clinical presentations: adult-type and infantile-type HPC. Intracranial HPC represents a special subtype with a high proclivity toward recurrence and metastasis. MethodsThe authors have reviewed the clinical features, response to treatment, and outcomes of 17 patients with HPC treated at St Jude Childrens Research Hospital from 1962 to 2009. ResultsAt diagnosis, 11 patients were older than 1 year (subgroup A) and 6 patients were younger than 1 year (subgroup B). Subgroup A: median age at diagnosis 13.5 years, (range, 4 to 20 y). Primary sites were intracranial (n=5), thigh (n=3), calf (n=1), foot (n=1), and scalp (n=1). One patient who presented with a thigh HPC had metastatic disease at diagnosis, and 3 patients with head location had unresectable tumors. Two patients with thigh location experienced objective responses to chemotherapy. Six patients died of disease progression, 4 of them had an intracranial location. The remaining 5 children are alive at follow-up of 12 to 32 years. Subgroup B: median age at diagnosis 0.5 months (range, 0 to 3 mo). Primary sites were thigh (n=2), calf (n=1), perianal (n=1), forearm (n=1), and lung (n=1). Three patients with limb location had unresectable disease at diagnosis, 2 of them experienced excellent responses to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and 1 did not show any response to chemotherapy and a staged resection was performed. All 6 infants are alive without evidence of disease at follow-up of 2 to 27 years. ConclusionsInfantile HPC is characterized by a better clinical behavior than the adult type, which requires an aggressive multimodality therapy. Chemoresponsiveness and spontaneous regression have been reported in children younger than 1 year, suggesting that a more conservative surgical approach should be used. Intracranial HPC is considered as an aggressive tumor because of its propensity for recurrence and metastasis.

VINCRISTINE-TICLOPIDINE-ASPIRIN: AN EFFECTIVE THERAPY IN CHILDREN WITH KASABACH-MERRITT PHENOMENON ASSOCIATED WITH VASCULAR TUMORS

Kasabach-Merritt phenomenon (KMP) is a serious coagulopathy with severe thrombocytopenia (<10,000/mm3) that occurs in the presence of an enlarging vascular tumor such as kaposiform hemangioendothelioma (KHE) and tufted angioma (TA). The natural history and treatment of these lesions remain controversial. The authors report a KHE case and a TA case that presented with KMP, describing their successful pharmacological management with vincristine, ticlopidine, and aspirin.

Dental Caries As a Side Effect of Infantile Hemangioma Treatment with Propranolol Solution

Abstract:  We report the case of an 18‐month‐old boy who presented with caries in the upper central incisors associated with the use of propranolol solution for the treatment of an infantile hemangioma. This side effect of propranolol solution has not been reported before, and it may result from a sucrose‐based excipient of the solution, or decreased salivation caused by beta‐adrenergic antagonist effect of propranolol.

Perinatal clinical and imaging features of CLOVES syndrome

We report a neonate with antenatal imaging features suggestive of CLOVES syndrome. Postnatal clinical and imaging findings confirmed the diagnosis, with the constellation of truncal overgrowth, cutaneous capillary malformation, lymphatic and musculoskeletal anomalies. The clinical, radiological and histopathological findings noted in this particular phenotype help differentiate it from other overgrowth syndromes with complex vascular anomalies.

Premature Ovarian Insufficiency in Childhood Cancer Survivors: A Report From the St. Jude Lifetime Cohort

Context Long-term follow-up data on premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) in childhood cancer survivors are limited. Objective To describe the prevalence of POI, its risk factors, and associated long-term adverse health outcomes. Design Cross-sectional. Setting The St. Jude Lifetime Cohort Study, an established cohort in a tertiary care center. Patients Nine hundred twenty-one participants (median age, 31.7 years) were evaluated at a median of 24.0 years after cancer diagnosis. Main Outcome Measure POI was defined by persistent amenorrhea combined with a follicle-stimulating hormone level >30 IU/L before age 40. Multivariable Cox regression was used to study associations between demographic or treatment-related risk factors and POI. Multivariable logistic regression was used to study associations between POI and markers for cardiovascular disease, bone mineral density (BMD), and frailty. Exposure to alkylating agents was quantified using the validated cyclophosphamide equivalent dose (CED). Results The prevalence of POI was 10.9%. Independent risk factors for POI included ovarian radiotherapy at any dose and CED ≥8000 mg/m2. Patients with a body mass index ≥30 kg/m2 at the time of the St. Jude Lifetime Cohort assessment were less likely to have a diagnosis of POI. Low BMD and frailty were independently associated with POI. Conclusion High-dose alkylating agents and ovarian radiotherapy at any dose are associated with POI. Patients at the highest risk should be offered fertility preservation whenever feasible. POI contributes to poor general health outcomes in childhood cancer survivors; further studies are needed to investigate the role of sex hormone replacement in improving such outcomes.

Patients with osteosarcoma with a single pulmonary nodule on computed tomography: a single-institution experience

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE The purpose of this study is to determine if patients with osteosarcoma (OS) with metachronous metastatic pulmonary disease presenting with a single pulmonary nodule (SPN) on computed tomography (CT) were found to have other lesions at the time of thoracotomy. METHODS Data were collected retrospectively on consecutive patients with OS treated at our institution from 1982 to 2007. Patients with no evidence of disease at the end of initial therapy who subsequently relapsed in the lung were identified. RESULTS In our study, 16 (8%) of 198 patients with OS with metachronous metastatic pulmonary disease presented with a SPN on CT scan. In all patients, only 1 metastatic nodule for OS was found at the time of thoracotomy. The median time between diagnosis and first lung relapse was 23.8 months (range, 4-80 months). Eleven patients (68.7%) subsequently had a second lung relapse, but only 3 patients had involvement of the ipsilateral lung (mean time interval between first and second pulmonary relapses of 17 months; range, 2-44 months). Five-year overall survival from diagnosis was 56.2%. Seven patients (43.8%) died of disease progression. CONCLUSIONS In our experience, patients with OS with metachronous metastatic pulmonary disease presenting with a SPN on CT were not found to have additional malignant lesions at the time of thoracotomy. Consideration should be given in this group of selected patients to use a minimally invasive approach to nodule removal with image-guided localization, if needed, rather than open thoracotomy because ipsilateral metastases are not likely to be found.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Parkes Weber Syndrome: A Review of 10 Consecutive Patients

BACKGROUND We sought to retrospectively analyze the clinical presentation, diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes of patients with Parkes Weber syndrome (PWS) who were treated at a single institution. METHODS A retrospective review was conducted of medical records of all patients with PWS treated at La Paz Childrens Hospital between 1994 and 2010. RESULTS Ten patients (median age, 14.8 years [range, 2-52 years]) were identified, including 7 women and 3 men. Six patients presented with lower limb hypertrophy and capillary malformation at birth, and both the right and left lower extremities were equally involved. Severe tricuspid insufficiency was observed in 1 patient. The median dysmetria between both lower extremities was 2.19 cm. Four patients are being treated successfully with compression garment therapy. Three patients underwent resection of multiple arteriovenous nidus. Three patients had palliative embolizations. One patient required above the knee amputation secondary to ischemia and chronic severe pain. CONCLUSIONS The early recognition of PWS is required to establish the most appropriate treatment and prevent short-term morbidity and unnecessary invasive diagnostic tests. Treatment should be individualized according to the age and clinical features of each patient. Although initial conservative management is recommended, surgery continues to play an important role in order to improve the quality of life in these patients.