[Mycosis fungoides in the child. Three cases]. / Mycosis fongoïde de l'enfant. Trois cas.

INTRODUCTION: Cutaneous lymphoma is unusual in children but according to data in the literature, approximated 5 p. 100 of the cases observed would begin in childhood. CASE REPORT: We retrospectively studied 3 cases of mycosis fungoides where the first manifestations occurred before 10 years of age. In one of the patients, the diagnosis was not definitively confirmed until adulthood. DISCUSSION: Diagnosis in these forms which begin in childhood is usually achieved after a long delay. Clinically, these lymphomas form a homogeneous group. In approximately 15 p. 100, guttate parapsoriasis occurs before mycosis fungoides. Biopsy is indicated if the lesions change in aspect or become atypical. The most frequent presentation in children or young adults is vitiligoid hypo-pigmented macules. Histologically, childhood forms do not differ from the adult forms and also respond to local treatment as in adults. Prospective studies conducted conjointly by paediatricians and dermatologists would be needed to describe the natural history of these cutaneous lymphomas in light of progression to aggressive lymphoma of Hodgkin's disease described in certain cases.

Effect of selenium in combination with cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) in the treatment of murine fibrosarcoma.

cis-Diamminedichloroplatinum(II) (cis-DDP) is a well-known anticancer agent the use of which is limited by its toxicity. Since it has been demonstrated that selenium is able to combine with metals like cadmium and mercury and to reduce their toxicity, we decided to investigate whether it could reduce the toxicity of platinum. We treated fibrosarcoma-bearing mice with a combination of cis-DDP and selenium. The dose of 2 or 4 micrograms selenium/g animal weight had no effect on tumor growth. The i.p. injection of 16 micrograms cis-DDP/g led to early death of animals. The i.p. treatment of tumor-bearing animals with 2 or 4 micrograms of selenium reduced the early mortality induced by cis-DDP at a dose of 16 micrograms/g. Therefore, the addition of selenium allowed the administration of high doses of cis-DDP, which resulted in an improved antitumor effect. Clonogenic assays following drug exposure showed that selenium had no direct effect on tumor cells and did not modify the antitumor activity of cis-DDP. Electron microscopy showed reduced changes in renal cells when selenium was added to the cis-DDP treatment. Microanalysis showed no accumulation of either selenium or platinum within renal cells. These results suggest that the addition of selenium decreases the nephrotoxicity of cis-DDP.