Višnja Armanda

Anti-CD20 Monoclonal Antibody (Rituximab) for Therapy of Mediastinal CD20-Positive Large B-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma with a Local Tumor Extension into the Lung of a 10-Year-Old Girl

Intravenous therapy with the anti-CD20 antibody Rituximab has been recently approved for the treatment of CD20 positive non-Hodgkins lymphoma (NHL) in adults but not in children. The authors present the benefits of its application for mediastinal NHL CD 20+ with a local extension into the lung of a 10-year-old-girl. Receiving the chemotherapy according to study NHL-BFM-95 for high-risk lymphoma the girl did not reach complete remission. Before the last chemotherapy block was started, a computed tomography scan of the thorax showed residue in the right lung. Twenty-five days after the last chemotherapy she received Rituximab at a dose of 375 mg/m 2 by intravenous infusion once a week for a total of four doses without the adverse reactions. Complete remission was achieved. The patient was high risk with lung involvement of lymphoma suggesting a pure prognosis. The results suggest that Rituximab may improve the outcome in high-risk patients and appeared to be safe and effective in children also.

Successful management of bleeding with recombinant factor VIIa (NovoSeven®) in a patient with Burkitt lymphoma and thrombosis of the left femoral and left common iliac veins

We present the case of an 18‐year‐old female with Burkitt lymphoma involving the intra‐abdominal and inguinal lymph nodes. The tumor had invaded the left femoral and common iliac veins causing secondary thrombosis and vessel occlusion. Chemotherapy and anticoagulant treatment resulted in mild thrombocytopenia and a prolonged prothrombin time, respectively, which exacerbated postoperative bleeding following surgical removal of a deep inguinal necrosis. After 6 days, bleeding combined with epistaxis was considered to be life threatening and anticoagulant reversal with recombinant factor VIIa was successfully performed. The patient has since achieved complete remission and subsequent antithrombotic therapy has resolved the vascular occlusion. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2007;49:332–335.

Endobronchial ALK+ anaplastic large-cell lymphoma resembling asthma in a 13-year-old girl.

Anaplastic large-cell lymphoma is a rare disease in children, and endobronchial localization is extremely rare in any age group. We report the case of a 13-year-old girl with endobronchial anaplastic lymphoma kinase–positive anaplastic large-cell lymphoma presenting as asthma, and discuss the diagnostic, therapeutic, and clinical implications.