Classical Hodgkin lymphoma-type PTLD after solid organ transplantation in children: a report on 17 patients treated according to subsequent GPOH-HD treatment schedules.

Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD) is a severe complication after solid organ transplantation (SOT). Classical Hodgkin lymphoma-type (HL-) PTLD is a rare subtype, and systematic data on treatment and prognosis are lacking. We report on 17 pediatric patients with classical HL-PTLD. HL-PTLD developed late at a median of 8.1 years after SOT. It was commonly EBV-positive (16/17) and expressed both CD30 (all tumors) and CD20 (8/17 tumors). Patients were treated with chemotherapy +/- involved field radiotherapy (IF-RT) according to the respective GPOH-HD protocol tailored by stage and LDH. Overall survival at 2 and 5 years was 86% with 81% of patients surviving event-free. Six patients had additional rituximab treatment; in two it was given as upfront monotherapy and in four was given concurrently with their chemotherapy. Rituximab monotherapy did not lead to long-term remission. In conclusion, treatment of HL-PTLD with classical HL chemotherapy is effective and tolerable. New treatment modalities such as CD30-targeted or EBV-specific agents may diminish toxicity.

Impact of O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) promoter methylation and MGMT expression on dacarbazine resistance of Hodgkin's lymphoma cells.

We analyzed the methylation status of the O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) promoter and mRNA expression in HL cells and assessed the response of these cells to dacarbazine. Expression of MGMT correlated with the presence of non-methylated promoters and cell lines with non-methylated promoters showed increased resistance against dacarbazine. KM-H2 cells expressed fusion transcripts between MGMT and proline-rich coiled-coil 2B (PRRC2B) but no wild type MGMT transcripts. Dacarbazine sensitivity suggested that fusion transcripts are translated into a protein with reduced functionality. MGMT promoter methylation predicts dacarbazine sensitivity of HL cells and it might be interesting to analyze this factor in HL patients.

Ovarian borderline tumors in pre-menarche girls.

By reason of a new case of an ovarian mucinous borderline tumor (BOT) in a pre-menarche girl, a research of current literature was implemented. Low-grade malignant epithelial tumors are extremely rare in young children and, as far as we know, only a few case reports exist. The patients presented with vomiting, pain, and a swollen lower abdomen. Pre-operative diagnosis primarily consists of imaging techniques. At Stage Ia, the tumor is confined to the ovary without penetration of the capsule, no malignant ascites or peritoneal implants. Treatment consists of removal of the tumor combined with concurrent salpingo oophorectomy, appendectomy, omentectomy, and peritoneal lavage. Although the treatment recommendations are not uniform, basically, preservation of fertility is the main objective. The prognosis is very good, but recurrence is possible even after 10 years.

[18F]Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography for detection of bone marrow involvement in children and adolescents with Hodgkin's lymphoma.

PURPOSE: Currently, a routine bone marrow biopsy (BMB) is performed to detect bone marrow (BM) involvement in pediatric Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) stage greater than IIA. [(18)F]fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) is increasingly used for the initial staging of HL. The value of using FDG-PET to detect BM involvement has not been sufficiently defined. We compared the results of BMBs and FDG-PET for the diagnosis of BM involvement in a large pediatric group with HL. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The initial staging of 175 pediatric patients with newly diagnosed classical HL stage greater than IIA was determined by using BMB, FDG-PET, chest computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or CT of the neck, abdomen, and pelvis. Staging images were prospectively evaluated by a central review board. Skeletal regions that were suggestive of BM involvement by either method were re-evaluated by using different imaging modalities. In suspicious cases, bone scintigraphy was performed. If follow-up FDG-PET scans were available, the remission of skeletal lesions during treatment was evaluated. RESULTS: BMB results were positive in seven of 175 patients and were identified by FDG-PET. FDG-PET scans showed BM involvement in 45 patients. In addition, the lesions of 32 of these 45 patients had a typical multifocal pattern. In 38 of 39 follow-up positron emission tomography scans, most of the skeletal lesions disappeared after chemotherapy. There was no patient with skeletal findings suggestive of BM involvement by MRI or CT with a negative FDG-PET. CONCLUSION: FDG-PET is a sensitive and specific method for the detection of BM involvement in pediatric HL. The sensitivity of a BMB appears compromised by the focal pattern of BM involvement. Thus, FDG-PET may safely be substituted for a BMB in routine staging procedures.

Procarbazine-free OEPA-COPDAC chemotherapy in boys and standard OPPA-COPP in girls have comparable effectiveness in pediatric Hodgkin's lymphoma: the GPOH-HD-2002 study.

PURPOSE: Vincristine, etoposide, prednisone, and doxorubicin (OEPA)-cyclophosphamide, vincristine, prednisone, and dacarbazine (COPDAC) is derived from standard vincristine, procarbazine, prednisone, and doxorubicin (OPPA)-cyclophosphamide, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone (COPP) chemotherapy by replacing procarbazine with etoposide and dacarbazine for a potentially less gonadotoxic regimen for boys with Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Five hundred seventy-three pediatric patients with classical HL were enrolled onto the German Society of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology-Hodgkin's Disease (GPOH-HD) -2002 study between November 2002 and December 2005. Boys received two courses of OEPA and girls received two courses of OPPA for induction. Treatment group (TG) -2 (intermediate stages) and TG-3 (advanced stages) patients received further two or four cycles COPP (girls) or COPDAC (boys), respectively. After chemotherapy all patients received involved-field irradiation with 19.8 Gy, except for patients with early-stage disease (TG-1) in complete remission. RESULTS: Five hundred seventy-three patients (287 males and 286 females) were less than 18 years old and fulfilled all inclusion criteria; 195 patients (34.0%) were allocated to TG-1, 139 (24.3%) were allocated to TG-2, and 239 (41.7%) were allocated to TG-3. Toxicity of OEPA-COPDAC was tolerable overall. Hematotoxicity was more pronounced with OEPA than OPPA, whereas it was less pronounced with COPDAC compared with COPP. The median observation time was 58.6 months. Overall survival and event-free survival (EFS) rates (+/- SE) at 5 years were 97.4% +/- 0.7% and 89.0% +/- 1.4%, respectively. In TG-1, overall EFS was 92.0% +/- 2.0%. EFS of patients without irradiation (93.2% +/- 3.3%) was similar to that of irradiated patients (91.7% +/- 2.5%), confirming results of the previous GPOH-HD-95 study. In TG-2+3, EFS did not significantly differ between boys and girls (90.2% +/- 2.3 v 84.7% +/- 2.7, respectively; P = .12). CONCLUSION: In TG-2+3, results in boys and girls are superimposable. OPPA-COPP and OEPA-COPDAC seem to be exchangeable regimens in intermediate- and advanced-stage classical HL in pediatric patients.

Critical illness polyneuropathy: a rare but serious adverse event in pediatric oncology.

Critical illness polyneuropathy (CIP) may aggravate sepsis and multiorgan dysfunction in pediatric oncology patients characterized by quadriparesis and difficult weaning from mechanical ventilation. Here, we report on an adolescent patient with acute lymphoblastic T-cell leukemia who developed critical illness neuropathy after an episode of sepsis with need for mechanical ventilation and intravenous catecholamines. Differential diagnoses like vincristine-induced polyneuropathy, anterior lumbosacral radiculopathy (ALR), Guillain-Barré syndrome, and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy - all occurring in pediatric patients with acute leukemia - are discussed.