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Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the larynx in children
Insights
Pediatric laryngeal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is rare but treatable. Early diagnosis and combined radiation and chemotherapy lead to complete remission in children with this rare airway obstruction cause.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Oncology
- Otolaryngology
- Hematology
Background:
- Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) rarely affects the larynx in children, presenting diagnostic challenges.
- Laryngeal NHL can mimic common pediatric respiratory conditions, leading to delayed diagnosis.
Observation:
- Two pediatric cases of isolated laryngeal NHL are presented, one with a 15-year follow-up.
- Both children experienced progressive airway obstruction and were initially misdiagnosed.
Findings:
- Histologic diagnosis confirmed laryngeal NHL, excluding disseminated disease.
- Treatment involved local irradiation and multiagent chemotherapy, achieving complete remission in both patients.
Implications:
- This highlights the importance of considering rare diagnoses in pediatric airway obstruction.
- Combined modality treatment offers a promising therapeutic strategy for pediatric laryngeal NHL.
- Long-term remission is achievable with prompt and appropriate intervention.
Abstract:
Non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (lymphosarcomas) of the larynx are rare occurrences in children. This paper reports a child 9 years 3 months of age with isolated non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the larynx, and gives a 15-year follow-up report of a previously published case of a child 4 years 7 months of age. Both children presented with the chief complaint of progressive airway obstruction, and both cases were misdiagnosed, as chronic allergic epiglottitis in the first patient, and nonresponsive croup in the second patient. Once we established a histologic diagnosis and excluded disseminated disease, we instituted treatment with local irradiation and systemic multiagent chemotherapy. Complete remission was achieved, and the two patients have been free of disease since their treatments were started 2 years and 9 years ago, respectively.