朗格罕斯细胞组织细胞增多症发病机制及治疗

朗格罕斯细胞组织细胞增多症是一种少见病,大量朗格罕斯细胞组织聚集于多种脏器,导致不同的临床表现,但其发病机制尚未完全阐明.文章将该病发病机制及治疗作一阐述,以提高临床医师对该病的认识.     

多系统累及朗格汉斯细胞组织细胞增生症治疗进展

朗格汉斯细胞组织细胞增生症(Langerhans cell histiocytosis,LCH)是一种罕见的树突细胞和网状细胞系统增生性疾病,目前分为单系统LCH(SS-LCH)和多系统LCH(MS–LCH)。MS-LCH的预后较差,及时有效地干预是患者存活的关键。目前有化学治疗、免疫治疗、造血干细胞移植治疗等多种治疗方案。文章就MS-LCH相关治疗方案的进展进行综述。     

Pulmonary Langerhans cell histiocytosis: a variable disease in childhood

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary Langerhans cell histiocytosis (PLCH) is rare in childhood but occurs most commonly in children with multisystem (MS) LCH. In adults, by contrast, the lung is the most common and usually the sole organ affected. This retrospective study describes the clinical manifestation, course, and outcome of PLCH in children consecutively diagnosed at two Canadian institutions. PROCEDURE: The medical records of children (<18 years of age) consecutively diagnosed with LCH at the two institutions, were examined to ascertain the demographic details, pathological diagnosis, and organs involved. Further clinical details including, the clinical manifestation, details of therapy, course of lung disease, and clinical outcome were extracted for patients with PLCH. Initial and follow-up lung radiographs and CT scans were re-reviewed. RESULTS: Of the 178 patients with LCH, 40 (22.5%) presented with MS disease. Thirteen (7.3%) had PLCH, seven at initial diagnosis, and six at the time of disease progression. The median age was 10.1 months and mean was 11.9 months at diagnosis of PLCH. Lung involvement was always in the context of MS LCH, and half of the patients had no respiratory symptoms. Disease-free survival was around 70%, with a mean follow-up duration of 7 years. Of the four patients who died, three had other risk-organ involvement. Five of the nine surviving patients have had complete radiological resolution of PLCH. CONCLUSION: PLCH is seen in less than 10% of childhood LCH, but more than 30% of MS LCH. About half of children with PLCH may be asymptomatic, and the prognosis appears to depend on the presence or absence of other risk-organ involvement. The MS PLCH found in children appears to be a different disease from the single system (SS) PLCH seen in adults.     

Intralesional steroids in Langerhans cell histiocytosis of bone

Langerhans cell histiocytosis may involve single or multiple organ systems. Bone involvement is the most common feature. We have examined retrospectively the effects of 20 intralesional injections of steroids into bone in seven patients seen at our department from 1988 to 1993. Most of these injections (75%) relieved the symptoms, and no side-effects were observed. However, injections into the jaw were seldom effective. Our results suggest that the dose of the steroids administered is of importance.     

Langerhans cell histiocytosis in the adult

A study of 47 well-documented patients with Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) showed a slight female preponderance, with onset as late as the ninth decade. The skin was the commonest site of presentation, but pulmonary, and bone involvement was frequent. Patients with single-site disease did best. The worst prognosis was seen in the elderly or those with organ dysfunction. A high incidence of associated malignant disease was seen, which could precede, be coincidental with, or occur after a diagnosis of LCH. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Langerhans cell histiocytosis in children under 2 years of age

This is a retrospective study of 55 children under the age of 2 years diagnosed with Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH). They were classified according to age and organ function and dysfunction following Lahey's criteria. The studied population was divided into four groups by age of diagnosis (0–6, 7–12, 13–18, and 19–24 months). Statistical analysis showed no significant difference in outcome between age groups, although the population under 6 months had a 81.3% fatality rate. The presence of organ dysfunction was a major cause of death in all age groups, being statistically significant in outcome (P > 0.005) compared with patients without organ dysfunction. The presence of thrombocytopenia and/or respiratory dysfunction was also highly associated with a fatal outcome. In the surviving population, no second malignancies have been reported. The late secondary effects of therapy include endocrine, orofacial, and osseous pathologies. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Haploidentical parental hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in pediatric refractory Langerhans cell histiocytosis

Children with MS‐LCH that fail to respond to conventional chemotherapy have poor outcomes. HSCT represents a potential salvage approach. It has been applied in over 50 cases in recent years. HSCT can achieve greater disease control than chemotherapy, but it carries a high risk of transplant‐related mortality; thus, the haploidentical parental HSCT is used infrequently in pediatric refractory LCH. We report the first successful haploidentical parental HSCT, with no T‐cell depletion, in two girls, aged 26 months and five months, with refractory MS‐LCH. The mothers were donors with 5/6 and 4/6 HLA matches, respectively. The conditioning regimen included busulfan + cyclophosphamide + etoposide + antithymocyte‐globulin ± fludarabine; the GVHD prophylaxis was based on cyclosporine + methotrexate ± mycophenolate‐mofetil ± zenapax. In both cases, the stem cells were sourced from peripheral blood and BM, which included CD34+ cells (13.17 × 10⁶/kg and 40.23 × 10⁶/kg, respectively). These patients survived and showed no signs of disease activity in 54‐ and 44‐month post‐HSCT follow‐ups. Our results indicated that, for patients that fail chemotherapy delivered early in the disease, but do not show organ dysfunction progression, it may be possible to achieve successful haploidentical parental HSCT with a strong myeloablative regimen.     

Response to subcutaneous therapy with mistletoe in recurrent multisystem Langerhans cell histiocytosis

We report a case of histologically proven multisystem (MS) Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) with recurrent disease reactivations after systemic chemotherapy. Through the use of subcutaneous therapy with mistletoe (MT), an inactive disease state was achieved.     

Langerhans cell histiocytosis with digestive tract involvement

Gastrointestinal tract (GIT) involvement in Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is not commonly described. We present two children presenting with GIT involvement with LCH, one successfully treated on standard protocol and other being treated on a protocol for relapsed disease. A review of literature showed almost 95% children were less than 2 years of age and 62% were females. Vomiting, abdominal pain, constipation, intractable diarrhea, malabsorption, bloody stools, protein‐losing enteropathy, and even intestinal perforation are some of the reported symptoms. More than 50% patients died within 18 months from diagnosis. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2010;55:748–753. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Langerhans cell histiocytosis in neonates

BACKGROUND: To study the incidence, clinical patterns, course, and outcome of neonatal Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH). PROCEDURE: Retrospective analysis of the data of the Austrian/German/Swiss/Netherlands LCH Study Group. The incidence of neonatal LCH was estimated with the data from the population-based German Childhood Cancer Registry. RESULTS: The estimated incidence of neonatal LCH (LCH diagnosed within 28 days after birth) in the population-based registry was 1-2/1,000,000. In 61/1,069 trial patients (6%), the first disease manifestations were observed in the neonatal period. However, in only 20 of them, the diagnosis was established within this period. There was a preponderance of multisystem (MS)-LCH 36/61 (59%). Cutaneous changes were the most common initial manifestation in both, single-system (SS)-LCH (92%), and MS-LCH (86%). In 72% of the MS-LCH patients, risk organs (ROs) were involved at diagnosis as well. The probability of survival at 5 years was 94% in SS-LCH and 57% in MS-LCH, which is significantly lower than in older age groups. CONCLUSIONS: In contrast to the available literature, neonatal LCH is characterized by a clear predominance of MS-LCH. Cutaneous changes are the most common initial manifestation in neonates with both SS-LCH and MS-LCH. Prompt evaluation of disease extent upon diagnosis is mandatory for risk-adapted treatment. The disease course is unpredictable upon diagnosis. Close monitoring for disease progression is mandatory if isolated cutaneous LCH is managed by the "wait and see" approach. Neonates with MS-LCH, especially those with RO involvement at diagnosis, have less favorable prognosis compared to infants and older children, and need systemic therapy.     

Growth of children with Langerhans cell histiocytosis

Diseases in childhood have an impact on growth. The influence of Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) on growth has never been studied well. Recently a patient with LCH was treated with human growth hormone (GH) because of severe GH deficiency due to LCH involvement of both the hypothalamus and pituitary. This led us to review our charts from 1971 onward for evaluation of the growth patterns in patients with LCH. Here the long-term growth of 22 patients with LCH is reported, the median follow up being 7 years and 1 month. The height data were converted into standard deviation scores (SDS). At diagnosis the mean SDS of patients with isolated LCH at diagnosis was 0.04 and –0.37 in patients with disseminated LCH. Of the total group, 12 patients did not show any influence from the LCH or therapy on their growth. The remaining 10 patients reached, after a minimum of 3 years, a percentile clearly higher than that at diagnosis. However all the ten above mentioned patients, either isolated or disseminated LCH, had a lesion in the facial side of the skull.Conclusion GH deficiency is not a common manifestation of LCH in childhood and GH provocation tests are only indicated when there is a poor or decelerating growth rate. In our patients the number of organs involved and/or the treatment modality did not influence the growth in all but one.Both authors made equal contributions to this work and are listed in alphabetical order     

Thymic Langerhans cell histiocytosis mimicking lymphoma

Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare disorder characterized by clonal expansion of antigen presenting Langerhans cells. Different clinical features can be seen according to the involved organs and systems. Multisystem disease with organ dysfunction is more common in infants, whereas single system disease is usually observed in older children. The disease can affect any system or organ throughout the body. Thymus is a rarely involvement site reported in LCH and usually is accompanied by skin, bone or lung disease. Here we report a 12-year-old male with thymic involvement by LCH clinically mimicking lymphoma.     

Recurrent pneumomediastinum and pneumothorax in Langerhans cell histiocytosis

Pneumothorax is an unusual complication of pulmonary Langerhans cell histiocytosis. We report three children who developed recurrent intrathoracic air leaks. In one case, bilateral pneumothoraces may have been precipated by intermittent positive pressure ventilation during general anaesthesia. Chemical pleurodesis was unsuccessful in preventing recurrence of pneumothoraces in two children. The use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation as an alternative to intermittent positive pressure ventilation in children with respiratory failure from Langerhans cell histiocytosis is discussed. Med. Pediatr. Oncol. 29:139–142, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

PET-CT in pediatric Langerhans cell histiocytosis

Our objective was to assess the utility of PET-CT in five pediatric patients with Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) who underwent PET-CT imaging for clinical staging and determination of lesion activity at various stages of treatment and follow-up. PET-CT combines the anatomic detail of CT and the physiologic activity of ¹⁸F-FDG imaging. We conclude that PET-CT information is clinically useful to evaluate disease activity and response to therapy and provides information that cannot be obtained from technetium 99m methylene diphosphonate bone scans or radiographs.     

Reactivation and risk of sequelae in Langerhans cell histiocytosis

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate disease reactivation in patients with Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) and its impact on adverse sequelae. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective evaluation of 300 patients diagnosed with LCH between 1987 and 2002 with complete response to initial treatment was performed. RESULTS: Mean age at diagnosis was 5.3 years. With a mean follow-up of 4.8 years, reactivation of the disease occurred in 29.7% (89/300) of the patients, with two or more reactivations in 34.8% (31/89) of those. Reactivation occurred in 17.4, 36.8, 46.5, and 53.5% of the patients with single-system unifocal disease (Group A: 161 patients), single-system multifocal disease (Group B: 53 patients), multi-system disease without (Group C: 58 patients), and with (Group D: 28 patients) risk-organ involvement, respectively. The differences between the incidence rates of Groups A and B (P < 0.0004), A and C (P < 0.0001), and A and D (P < 0.0001) were highly significant. The most common reactivation sites involved were bone, middle ear, and skin; reactivation was rare in risk organs (9.5%). The median time between initial complete response and the first reactivation episode was 1 year for Group A, 1.3 years for Group B, and 9 months for Groups C and D. Most reactivation episodes (88%) occurred within the first 2 years of follow-up. Adverse sequelae were recognized in 242/300 patients: 71% (49/69) of patients with and 25.4% (44/173) without reactivations developed these adverse sequelae (P < 0.0001), respectively. Sites most commonly showing sequelae were bone, middle ear, and hypothalamus (Diabetes Insipidus). CONCLUSIONS: Incidence of reactivation correlates with the stage of the disease at diagnosis. Incidence of sequelae correlates with the occurrence of reactivations.     

Langerhans cell histiocytosis in childhood: Results from the Italian cooperative AIEOP-CNR-H.X '83 study

Ninety patients with biopsy-proven Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) were enrolled from June, 1983, to December, 1988, in the multicenter AIEOP-CNR-H.X. '83 study. They were divided into two groups: poor prognosis (PP), comprising 11 children with organ dysfunction (OD), and good prognosis (GP), made up of 79 patients without OD. Eighty-four patients were evaluable for treatment results. Among GP patients, 16 with a single lesion received only local treatment, while 59 entered a clinical trial of immunotherapy and/or monochemotherapy with vinblastine (VBL). Nonresponders, sequentially received doxorubicin (ADM) and then etoposide (VP16). PP patients were treated with 4 week cycles of vincristine, ADM, cyclophosphamide, and prednisone for nine courses. The overall survival was 92.8% (100% for GP patients and 45.5% for PP patients) at 48 months. The complete response (CR) rates for immunotherapy, VBL, ADM, and VP16 were 10%, 62.9%, 42.8%, and 88.2%, respectively. Two of the 11 PP patients had a CR (18.2%), while six died and three are still alive with recurrent disease. The overall incidence of disease-related disabilities was 47.7%, while that of diabetes insipidus was 20%. Monochemotherapy is probably adequate in GP patients, while more effective treatments are needed for PP patients. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.