Factors Associated with Malignancy in Biopsy of Children with Suspected Adenopathy

Abstract

Introduction: the lymphatic system consists of lymph, lymphatic channels, and various organs, including lymph nodes. There are approximately 600 superficial and deep lymph nodes. The term adenopathy refers to the symptomatic or asymptomatic growth of lymph nodes in various locations and accounts for up to 44% of all consultations in children under 5 years of age. Their enlargement can be caused by infectious, reactive or malignant processes. Objective: to identify variables associated with malignancy in children undergoing biopsy for adenopathy. Methods: a cross-sectional study was performed using a data collection form that included clinical and histopathologic characteristics of pediatric patients (aged 1 and 18 years) with lymphadenopathies at the Honduran Social Security Institute, and an association was sought between the study variables and the dependent variable. Results: of the 92 children studied, the most frequent age of presentation was 6 to 10 years, male sex was most affected, no association was found with family history of cancer and the presence of lymphadenopathies. The main cause of adenopathy was neoplasms in 67/92 of the patients studied, the main neoplasm diagnosed was Hodgkin's lymphoma in 41/67 cases. 83.6% of the cases positive for malignancy had some accompanying sign or symptom, which is statistically significant. Conclusion: 72.8% of the biopsies corresponded to adenopathy of malignant etiology, the most frequent cause being hematopoietic neoplasms of Hodgkin's lymphoma subtype.