Sindromul de compresiune mediastinală asociat limfoamelor maligne la copil

Abstract

This study intends to highlight the main aspects regarding the diagnosis of mediastinal compression syndrome in children with Hodgkin’s disease(HD) or non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). The study group included 50 children aged between 4 and 17, diagnosed with HD or NHL during five years. Mediastinal tumors (MT) were present in lymphoblastic T cells NHL. In patients with HD, the mixed cellularity subtype was the most frequent (60%). Presenting symptoms were: enlargement of one lymph node group, unilaterally (30%), enlargement of the mediastinum (58%), weight loss (68%), lymphadenopathy (63%), and dyspnoea (40%). The study showed a higher percentage of mediastinal compression in NHL patients and males. In HD patients, mediastinal compression was more frequent in mixed-cellularity and lymphocyte-rich subtypes. Remission was rare and hard to achieve in patients with MD that had a rapid and extremely severe evolution, unresponsive to treatment in 34% of the patients.