This study investigates the extent of bone marrow (BM) involvement at diagnosis of apparent isolated extramedullary (AIEM) relapses of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and its relation to prognosis. Sixty-four children with first AIEM relapse treated in Germany, Czech Republic, or France were included. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction using T-cell receptor and immuno...

UNLABELLED Primary breast lymphoma (PBL) is a rare disease accounting for 0.4-0.5% of all breast malignancies. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common histological diagnosis. The clinical presentation of PBLs is usually no different from that of carcinoma. In this paper we review the literature on the clinical presentation, diagnosis, prognostic factors and treatment options of...

Isolated secondary central nervous system lymphoma (SCNSL) relapse is a rare disease. Consequently, standardized treatment regimens have yet to be developed. We present an interesting case of isolated SCNSL presenting with altered mental status and panhypopituitarism in a patient at low risk of developing the disease. We also review the related literature and discuss newer, more aggressive trea...

Determining the current status of therapeutic results of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and identifying the important clinical predictors of survival and relapse are essential for establishing therapeutic strategies. Sixty-two children with ALL who were admitted to Chonnam University Hospital from January 1983 to June 1991 were studied. With a mean follow-up period of 53.7 months, the over...

BACKGROUND Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) rarely relapses in extracranial sites, and no specialized guidelines for follow-up evaluation have been proposed. METHODS We analyzed 65 patients with newly diagnosed PNCSL to evaluate the pattern of relapse and prognostic factors. RESULTS Of the 65 patients analyzed, 55 had only parenchymal brain disease, and 10 had both intracrani...

For most children who relapse with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the prognosis is poor, and there is a need for novel therapies to improve outcome. We screened samples from children with B-lineage ALL entered into the ALL-REZ BFM 2002 clinical trial (www.clinicaltrials.gov, #NCT00114348) for somatic mutations activating the Ras pathway (KRAS, NRAS, FLT3, and PTPN11) and showed mutation to...

BACKGROUND Intraocular lymphoma (IOL) is a rare malignant lymphoma that most closely resembles a diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, and it is a subtype of primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL). IOL is located inside the eye in the retina, uvea, and/or optic nerve. We retrospectively analyzed IOL patient data to identify treatment patterns and survival rates in Korea. METHODS Cytological...

It is estimated that 10% to 30% of patients with solid tumors are diagnosed with central nervous system (CNS) metastasis. Common primary sites include lung, breast, melanoma, kidney, and colorectal. Brain metastases are increasing, due to the aging population, detection of subclinical disease, and control of systemic disease. CNS metastases are a major cause of morbidity and mortality affecting...

Public concern about possible increases in the risk of multiple sclerosis associated with hepatitis B vaccination has led to low vaccination coverage. We investigated whether this vaccination after a first episode of acute CNS inflammatory demyelination in childhood increased the risk of conversion to multiple sclerosis. We studied the French Kid Sclérose en Plaques (KIDSEP) neuropaediatric coh...

background : primary central nervous system involvement and central nervous system relapse are poor prognostic events in acute lymphoblastic leukemia. due to severe skeletal and endocrine complications of craniospinal radiotherapy, only cranial radiotherapy is advisable. however only 15% of the cases with central nervous system relapse may remain in remission; a second central nervous system or...