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Pleural effusions in lymphoblastic lymphoma: a diagnostic alternative
B E Chaignaud1, T A Bonsack, H P Kozakewich
1Department of Surgery, Children's Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Insights
Children with anterior mediastinal masses and respiratory compromise may be diagnosed with lymphoblastic lymphoma if they have a pleural effusion. This finding suggests thoracentesis can diagnose lymphoma, avoiding risky anesthesia for biopsy.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Oncology
- Thoracic Surgery
- Diagnostic Imaging
Background:
- Large anterior mediastinal masses in children often cause severe respiratory compromise.
- Biopsy is preferred for diagnosis but carries risks due to potential anesthesia complications.
- Pleural effusions may correlate with lymphoblastic lymphoma, offering a diagnostic alternative.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if pleural effusions are more frequent in pediatric lymphoblastic lymphoma than Hodgkin's disease.
- To assess if pleural effusions can aid in diagnosing anterior mediastinal masses in compromised children.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of 101 pediatric patients with anterior mediastinal masses (1980-1994).
- Blinded review of radiographic imaging (chest X-ray/CT) for pleural effusions in 88 cases.
- Comparison of effusion frequency between lymphoblastic lymphoma and Hodgkin's disease.
Main Results:
- Pleural effusions were present in 71% of lymphoblastic lymphoma cases versus 11.7% of Hodgkin's disease cases.
- The association between pleural effusions and lymphoblastic lymphoma was statistically significant (P < .002).
Conclusions:
- Pleural effusions are significantly more associated with lymphoblastic lymphoma than Hodgkin's disease in pediatric anterior mediastinal masses.
- Thoracentesis can be a valuable diagnostic tool, potentially avoiding anesthesia and open biopsy in high-risk patients.
Background:
Children with large anterior mediastinal masses frequently present with severe respiratory compromise and often pose a difficult diagnostic dilemma. A biopsy is preferred for diagnosis before treatment can begin; however, many of these children are at risk of acute clinical deterioration and cardiovascular arrest with the induction of anesthesia. The authors noted a correlation between pleural effusions and lymphoblastic lymphoma and recently diagnosed three cases of lymphoblastic lymphoma in children with a large anterior mediastinal mass and pleural effusion through cytological and flow cytometric examination of the pleural fluid.
Methods:
To focus on this problem, 101 pediatric patients presenting with an anterior mediastinal mass between January 1980 and September 1994 were reviewed to determine if pleural effusions occur more frequently at initial presentation with lymphoblastic lymphoma than with Hodgkin's disease, thus offering a means of diagnosis in children with severe respiratory compromise. The patients' chest radiographs and/or computed tomograms for the 88 cases in which they were available were reviewed retrospectively in a blinded fashion to identify those children with pleural effusions at the time of presentation.
Results:
In this study, 71% of patients with lymphoblastic lymphoma (10 of 14) had a pleural effusion at presentation, whereas only 11.7% of patients with Hodgkin's disease (7 of 60) had a pleural effusion on initial presentation. (P < .002 Fisher's Exact test).
Conclusion:
This retrospective review suggests that there is a significantly greater association of pleural effusions in patients with lymphoblastic lymphoma than with Hodgkin's disease. Our experience supports the conclusion that thoracentesis may provide a means of diagnosis in children presenting in severe respiratory compromise obviating the need for anesthesia and open biopsy.