3/2007Difficulties in diagnosis of children malignancies– an overview

ELŻBIETA ADAMKIEWICZ-DROŻYŃSKA (Department of Pediatrics, Hematology, Oncology and Endocrinology, Medical University of Gdansk, Poland; Head of the Department: Anna Balcerska, M.D., Ph.D.)

Summary
In this paper we review the main diagnostic aspects of children malignancies. The great dynamic of the growth of children malignancies and the progress of the treatment was pointed. We divided those diseases into hematological malignancies and malignant solid tumors. Suspicious clinical and laboratory signs of leukemia, Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma were discussed. Among the signs of hematological malignancies, characteristic features of enlarged lymph nodes were described in details. Symptoms of solid tumors were referred to their localization. The following localizations were isolated: CNS tumors, extracranial head and neck tumors and tumors in thoracic, abdominal and extremity localization. The most common histological types of solid tumors were mentioned in particular localizations. We presented the initial signs and the diagnostic difficulties arising from nonspecific clinical onset. We also paid attention on some specific clinical oncological symptoms, which are found in particular pediatric tumors and some biochemical markers, which are important in children oncology, and which have to be diagnosed. The knowledge about them facilitates the process of diagnosis in pediatric oncology.

Key words: children malignancies, diagnosis, signs of malignancy