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Paediatric Pulmonology and Allergology
2007 April, Vol. X, No. 1 (3531-3542)
PRIMARY LUNG TUMORS IN CHILDREN
Emma McCahon
Westmead Children’s Hospital, Weastmed, Sydney, Australia
Although primary lung tumours in children are rare, approximately 75 percent are malignant. Clinical and radiological presentations of pulmonary tumours in children are nonspecific, and mimic more common diagnoses, including cough with collapse and consolidation on the chest radiograph. The majority of children with pulmonary malignancy usually present coincidentally while seeking attention for another medical problem. Often, the possibility of primary pulmonary tumour is considered only when radiographic abnormalities or symptoms persist or fail to respond to therapy. With reference to data in the medical literature the major types of pulmonary tumours in children are delineated in this article. The attention of the author is focussed on the pulmonary malignancies particularly on the most common primary malignant tumourpleumopulmonary blastoma which occurs only in children. With improved techniques of medical imaging for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes many cases of children pulmonary tumours might be diagnosed in time and cured successfully. Metastatic pulmonary tumours rarely cause respiratory symptoms in children until they have advanced disease. Since the most of pulmonary metastases seen in children arise from Wilm’s tumour and osteosarcoma, the role of paediatric respiratory specialist in the ongoing care of patients affected by this pathology is of increasing importance. Three ostensively illustrated case presentations of paediatric patients with pleuropulmonary blastoma and osteosarcoma conclude this article (Paed Resp Rev; 2006, 7 (3): 191–196).