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Ganglioneuroblastoma-associated vitamin D deficiency rickets
Clementina La Rosa1, Gianpiero Igli Baroncelli, Piero Pavone
1Department of Pediatrics, University of Catania, Catania daggerDepartment of Pediatrics, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
Insights
Vitamin D deficiency causes rickets in infants. A rare case links this deficiency to ganglioneuroblastoma, suggesting vitamin D may protect against cancer.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Oncology
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Vitamin D deficiency is a primary cause of rickets, particularly in breastfed infants with darker skin tones and limited sun exposure.
- Rickets is uncommon in Southern Italy, prompting further investigation in this reported case.
Observation:
- A 1.5-year-old Afro-Italian male infant presented with classic symptoms of vitamin D deficiency rickets.
- The infant was exclusively breastfed for 8 months without vitamin D supplementation.
Findings:
- Investigations revealed an unusual association between vitamin D deficiency rickets and an abdominal ganglioneuroblastoma.
- This co-occurrence of rickets and ganglioneuroblastoma has not been previously reported in medical literature.
Implications:
- While the association may be coincidental, the findings suggest a potential role for vitamin D deficiency in the development of ganglioneuroblastoma.
- This case highlights the importance of considering vitamin D status in pediatric oncology and vice versa.
Abstract:
Vitamin D deficiency is the most common cause of rickets mainly in breast-fed dark-skinned, African or Asian children receiving inadequate sunlight exposure. We report a case of a 1.5 year-old Afro-Italian male infant living in South Italy who came to our observation with the typical clinical picture of vitamin D deficiency rickets. The child was exclusively breast-fed for 8 months without vitamin D supplements. Owing to the rarity of vitamin D deficiency rickets in the South of Italy he underwent several investigations, which demonstrated the association with an abdominal ganglioneuroblastoma. To our knowledge, ganglioneuroblastoma has never been reported in association with vitamin D deficiency rickets. Although the association between these 2 rare conditions may be coincidental, the protective action of vitamin D against cancer suggests that vitamin D deficiency might have contributed to the development of ganglioneuroblastoma in our patient.
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