Paeds - oncology Flashcards
what is acute lymphoblastic leukaemia?
it is the most common malignancy in childhood.
It arises from malignant proliferation of pre-B (common ALL) or T-cell lymphoid precursors.
what age group is ALL common in?
the peak incidence is at around 2-5 years of age and boys are more commonly affected than girls
how does acute lymphoblastic anaemia present?
typically a short history (days or weeks) and with signs and symptoms reflecting pancytopenia, bone marrow expansion and lymphadenopathy
purpura, easy bruising, epistaxis due to thrombocytopenia
hepatosplenomegaly
pallor, ecchymoses or petechiae
fever
fatigue, dizziness, palpitations and dyspnoea
epistaxis, menorrhagia
bone pain - secondary to bone marrow infiltration
what investigations would you perform for ALL and what would you see?
- bone marrow: hyper cellularity and infiltration by lymphoblast’s
- FBC - anaemia, leucocytosis, neutropenia and/or thrombocytopenia
- peripheral blood smear - leukaemic lymphoblast’s
- serum electrolytes
- chest XR may show evidence of a mediastinal mass, pleural effusion or LRTI
- RFT - urea may be normal or elevated
- LFTs - may be normal or elevated
what are the factors that lead to poor prognosis in ALL?
age < 2 years or > 10 years WBC > 20 * 109/l at diagnosis T or B cell surface markers non-Caucasian male sex
what is acute myeloid leukaemia?
it is more common in adults than children but accounts for 5% of all childhood malignancies
it results from malignant proliferation of myeloid cell precursors in the bone marrow, peripheral blood or extramedullary tissues.
what are the features of acute myeloid leukaemia?
anaemia - pallor, lethargy, weakness neutropenia - WCC may be very high however functioning neutrophil levels may be low leading to frequent infection thrombocytopenia - bleeding splenomegaly bone pain
*lymphadenopathy and intrathoracic extramedullary disease is less prominent than in ALL
what is the classification used for AML?
MO - undifferentiated M1 - without maturation M2 - with granulocytic maturation M3 - acute promyelocytic M4 - granulocytic and monocytic maturation M5 - monocytic M6 - erythroleukaemia M7 - megakaryoblastic
what conditions predispose to leukaemia ?
down’s syndrome increase risk of AML and ALL
Fanconi syndrome, bloom syndrome, ataxia telangiectasia, Kostmann’s syndrome, diamond blackfan syndrome, klinefelters, turners, neurofibromatosis, incontinentia pigmenti all increase the risk of AML.
what is Hodgkin’s lymphoma?
Hodgkin’s lymphoma (HL), also referred to as Hodgkin’s disease, is an uncommon haematological malignancy arising from mature B cells. It is characterised by the presence of Hodgkin’s cells and Reed-Sternberg cells.
what is Hodgkin’s lymphoma characterised by?
the presence of Reed-Sternberg cells
it is characterised by lymphadenopathy - painless, non tender, asymmetrical
Systemic - B symptoms - weight loss greater than 10%, night sweats, fever (Pel-Ebstein)
what are the investigations for AML?
FBC - anaemia, microcytosis, leucocytosis, neutropenia and thrombocytopenia
peripheral blood smear - blasts on blood film, presence of Auer rods
coagulation panel serum electrolytes renal function LFTs bone marrow biopsy - will show bone marrow hypercellularity and infiltration by blasts, blasts >20%, Auer rods
what are the risk factors for Hodgkin’s lymphoma?
history of EBV infection
fam history of Hodgkin’s lymphoma
what are the different types of Hodgkin’s lymphoma ?
Nodular sclerosing Hodgkin lymphoma (NSHL) - most common in children and adolescents
Mixed-cellularity Hodgkin lymphoma (MCHL)
Lymphocyte-depleted Hodgkin lymphoma (LDHL)
Lymphocyte-rich classical Hodgkin lymphoma (LRHL)
what are the common sites for hodgkins lymphoma?
most common site is cervical and mediastinal
dissemination to extra-nodal sites is uncommon
what is the staging for hodgkins lymphoma?
Ann Arbor system
I -Single lymph node region
II- Two or more regions on the same side of the diaphragm
III- Involvement of lymph node regions on both sides of the diaphragm
IV - Involvement of extra nodal sites
what investigations would you perform for hodgkins lymphoma?
FBC metabolic panel ESR CT neck chest and abdomen/pelvis PET scan Bone marrow biopsy - if radiological evidence of at least stage 3) - the presence of Hodgkin's cells
EBV serology
what is a lymphoma?
Lymphoma is the malignant proliferation of lymphocytes which accumulate in lymph nodes or other organs. Lymphoma may be classified as either Hodgkin’s lymphoma (a specific type of lymphoma characterized by the presence of Reed-Sternberg cells) or non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (every other type of lymphoma that is not Hodgkin’s lymphoma).
what are the clinical features of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma?
peripheral lymphadenopathy splenomegaly night sweats weight loss fatigue malaise fever extra nodal disease - gastric (dyspepsia, dysphagia, weight loss, abdominal pain), bone marrow (pancytopenia, bone pain), lungs, skin, central nervous system (nerve palsies)
how can you differentiate hodgkins from non-Hodgkin’s?
Lymphadenopathy in Hodgkin’s lymphoma can experience alcohol-induced pain in the node
‘B’ symptoms typically occur earlier in Hodgkin’s lymphoma and later in non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
Extra-nodal disease is much more common in non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma than in Hodgkin’s lymphoma
what investigations would you perform for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
excisional node biopsy
CT chest abdomen and pelvis - to assess staging
HIV test
FBC - thrombocytopenia, pancytopenia, lymphocytosis
blood smear - nucleated red blood cells, left shift
LDH - an indirect indication of the proliferative rate of the lymphoma - an important diagnostic and prognostic factor
what are the risk factors for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma?
males immunocompromised EBV infection human T-lymphocytotrophic virus 1 (HYLV-1) human herpesvirus-8 H.pylori coeliac disease HIV Hep C
what is the staging used for non-hodgkins lymphoma
same as HL - ann arbor system
how is non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma managed?
Management is dependent on the specific sub-type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and will typically take the form of watchful waiting, chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
All patients will receive flu/pneumococcal vaccines
Patients with neutropenia may require antibiotic prophylaxis
what are the complications of Hodgkin’s lymphoma?
Bone marrow infiltration causing anaemia, neutropenia or thrombocytopenia
Superior vena cava obstruction
Metastasis
Spinal cord compression
Complications related to treatment e.g. Side effects of chemotherapy
what are the different types of ALL?
common - 75%
T cell only - 20%
B cell only - 5%
what are the complications of ALL?
neutropenic sepsis - give tazocin
hyperuricaemia - give allopurinol
secondary cancer
stunted growth