[Multifocal osteonecrosis in children and adolescents after polychemotherapy]

Adequate treatment protocols provide excellent results in management of lymphoma, leukemia and other malignancies in children. With improved survival rates, therapy related sequaela like osteonecrosis (avascular necrosis of bone, AVN) have become a matter of increasing concern. From 1982 to 1992 121 patients were treated for acute lymphocytic leukemia, acute myelocytic leukemia, Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and Langerhanscell-histiocytosis. All patients were treated with multiagent regimes that included low-dose steroid therapy. 23 patients died, but 64 patients could be evaluated 4 to 14 years after chemotherapy. If the patient complained of bone or joint pain or other clinical findings were suspicious for bony lesions, radiological evaluation was made to get prove of AVN. Six out of 64 patients developed AVN at 17 different sites. Four patients had multifocal AVN. The interval between induction chemotherapy and onset of symptoms was at average 12 months. The average cumulative steroid dosage was 4.25 g. AVN did not relate to sex, diagnosis or a single agent, but did relate to age. There were no cases of AVN in patients younger than 10 years of age. Four patients required surgical intervention. AVN after polychemotherapy was only seen in patients over the age of 10 years. AVN developed at an average of 12 months after induction chemotherapy during the maintenance dose phase. Therefore careful clinical monitoring of patients receiving polychemotherapy is indicated and if indicated radiological evaluation for early detection of AVN to prevent further morbidity is necessary.