title: Management of brain abscesses in children treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
abstract: Brain abscesses in children with leukemia or other malignancies are rare and potentially fatal. We report on four children who developed brain abscesses during treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). All patients received multimodal broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy and liposomal amphotericin-B in combination with hyperbaric oxygen. First-line antimicrobial treatment was modified when a causative organism was isolated. All four patients survived, with two patients showing complete resolution of neurological and MRI abnormalities and with two patients still having residual lesions. To date, all patients are in remission with three patients still receiving antileukemic therapy. Brain abscesses can be successfully managed by a multimodality approach even in severely immunocompromised cancer patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Division of Pediatric Hematology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria. herwig.lackner@meduni-graz.at
authors.forename: Herwig
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lackner
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sovinz
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Benesch
authors.forename: Freyja
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Smolle-Jüttner
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mokry
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Schwinger
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moser
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Urban
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001922:Brain Abscess / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents