Malignant Disease Flashcards
What is the most common solid organ tumour in childhood?
CNS → leading cause of childhood cancer deaths
What are the types of CNS tumours in childhood?
- Astrocytoma (cerebellar) - 40%
- Medulloblastoma (cerebellar) - 20%
- Ependymoma - 8%
- Brainstem glioma - 6%
- Craniopharyngioma - 4%
- Atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumour
What are the features of astrocytoma?
Benign to highly malignant → most common = pilocytic astrocytoma
What are the features of medulloblastoma?
- Arise from midline posterior fossa
- Associated spinal metastases
What are the features of ependymoma?
Posterior fossa
What are the features of brainstem glioma?
Malignant tumours with poor prognosis
What are the features of craniopharyngioma?
- Squamous remnant of Rathke pouch
- Not truly malignant but locally invasive
What are the features of atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumour?
Rare type of aggressive tumour occurring in young children
In which condition is pilocytic astrocytoma common?
Neurofibromatosis I (NF1)
What is the histopathology of pilocytic astrocytoma?
- Piloid (hairy) cell
- Rosenthal fibres and granular bodies
- Slow growing with low mitotic activity
What is the most common mutation in pilocytic astrocytoma?
BRAF
What are the signs and symptoms of CNS tumours?
- Headaches → worse in morning, coughing
- Vomiting → on waking
- Gait problems / Co-ordination problems / Clumsy
- Irritability
- Failure to thrive
- Visual changes
- Behaviour or personality change
-
Raised ICP
- Papilledema = disc oedema, obscuration of margins, elevation, venous congestion, haemorrhages
- Separation of sutures/tense fontanelle
- Developmental delay
- Increased head circumference
What is the management of benign intracranial hypertension?
LP with manometry → siphon off CSF to reduce intracranial pressure + monitor
What are the focal signs for intracranial hypertension?
- Headache
- Vomiting
- Changed mental state
What are the focal signs for supratentorial?
- Focal neurological deficits
- Seizures
- Personality change
What are the focal signs for subtentorial?
- Cerebellar ataxia
- Long tract signs
- Cranial nerve palsies
What are the appropriate investigations for suspected CNS tumours?
MRI > CT / PET
- Pilocytic astrocytoma = cerebellar; well circumscribed, cystic, enhancing
What is the management of CNS tumours in children?
- MDT = paediatrician, neurologist, SN, OT, PT, SALT, psychology, radiologist, oncologist, CLIC Sargent
- 1st line = Surgery - maximal safe resection to obtain and extensive excision with minimal damage to the patient
- Resectability is dependent on the location, site and number of lesions
- Craniotomy = debulking (subtotal and complete resections)
- Open biopsies = inoperable but approachable tumours
- Stereotactic biopsy = open biopsy not indicated
- Radiotherapy → for low and high-grade gliomas, metastases
- Chemotherapy → for high-grade gliomas (temozolomide)
- Biological agents (EGFR inhibitors, PD-1 inhibitors etc.)
When is the peak incidence of leukaemia in children?
2-5 years → M > F
- 80% = ALL
- 20% = AML
What are the signs and symptoms of childhood ALL?
- Bone marrow failure - anaemia, thrombocytopenia, neutropoenia
- Local infiltration
- Lymphadenopathy (± thymic enlargement)
- Splenomegaly
- Petechial rash on face and trunk
- Hepatomegaly
- Bone (causing pain)
- Testes, CNS → are ‘sanctuary sites’ as chemotherapy doesn’t readily reach them