title: Langerhans' cell histiocytosis of the spine in children with soft tissue extension and chemotherapy.
abstract: The objectives of this paper were to look into the possible incidence of obvious soft tissue extension from Langerhans' cell histiocytosis (LCH) of the spine in children and to evaluate the effects of chemotherapy for those patients. Eighteen patients with histopathological diagnosis of LCH were reviewed and nine with obvious paravertebral soft tissue extension were included in this study. Soft tissue extension was involved in the spinal canal and/or around the vertebral body in eight cases and posterior involvement was prevalent in one case. Eight patients experienced neurological symptoms. All received chemotherapy and one had surgical treatment. The mean follow-up time was 30.3 months. Soft tissue extension disappeared completely in all patients. No clinical evidence of disease was observed at the most recent follow-up. The incidence of LCH of the spine in children with obvious soft tissue extension was up to 50%. Chemotherapy is safe and effective, and surgical decompression was probably not necessary for most patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China. pengxs66@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Xin-Sheng
authors.initials: XS
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: Li-Yan
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Gang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004358:Drug Therapy; D005260:Female; D006646:Histiocytosis, Langerhans-Cell / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007801:Langerhans Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D010014:Osteolysis / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology; D012074:Remission Induction; D013122:Spinal Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D013131:Spine / Q000473:pathology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome