Langerhans cell histiocytosis: a 10-year review

Hospital records of seventeen patients (11 males & 6 females) with Langerhans cell histiocytosis, confirmed by electron microscopic demonstration of Birbeck granules, were studied retrospectively from October 1982 to October 1992 at Taichung Veterans General Hospital. The ages at presentation ranged from 5 months to 17 years (a median of 6 years). The clinical features were protean and included fever, pain, bony lesions, lung lesions, abnormal dentition, diabetes insipidus, oral ulcer, otorrhea, dermatitis, anemia, thrombocytopenia, lymphadenopathy, and hepatosplenomegaly. Skull and femur were the most common sites of bony lesions. The main therapeutic modalities were excision, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy with vincristine and prednisolone. The young age at presentation, several involved organ systems, presence of organ dysfunction, and clinical diagnosis with Letterer-Siwe disease were poor prognostic factors. Although Langerhans cell histiocytosis is not a rare disease, the cause is still unknown. It needs further research to disclose the mystery.