Cholangiocarcinoma presenting in an adolescent with vertically acquired HIV infection

Review on Pediatric Malignant Focal Liver Lesions with Imaging Evaluation: Part I

Malignant focal liver lesions (FLLs) are commonly reported in adults but rarely seen in the pediatric population. Due to the rarity, the understanding of these diseases is still very limited. In children, most malignant FLLs are congenital. It is very important to choose appropriate imaging examination concerning various factors. This paper will outline common pediatric malignant FLLs, including hepatoblastoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, and cholangiocarcinoma and discuss them against the background of the latest knowledge on comparable/similar tumors in adults. Medical imaging features are of vital importance for the non-invasive diagnosis and follow-up of treatment of FLLs in pediatric patients. The use of CEUS in pediatric patients for characterizing those FLLs that remain indeterminate on conventional B mode ultrasounds may be an effective option in the future and has great potential to be integrated into imaging algorithms without the risk of exposure to ionizing radiation.

Epidemiology, determinants, and management of AIDS cholangiopathy: A review

Diseases of the liver and biliary tree have been described with significant frequency among patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and its advanced state, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Through a variety of mechanisms, HIV/AIDS has been shown to affect the hepatic parenchyma and biliary tree, leading to liver inflammation and biliary strictures. One of the potential hepatobiliary complications of this viral infection is AIDS cholangiopathy, a syndrome of biliary obstruction and liver damage due to infection-related strictures of the biliary tract. AIDS cholangiopathy is highly associated with opportunistic infections and advanced immunosuppression in AIDS patients, and due to the increased availability of highly active antiretroviral therapy, is now primarily seen in instances of poor access to anti-retroviral therapy and medication non-compliance. While current published literature describes well the clinical, biochemical, and endoscopic management of AIDS-related cholangiopathy, information on its epidemiology, natural history, and pathology are not as well defined. The objective of this review is to summarize the available literature on AIDS cholangiopathy, emphasizing its epidemiology, course of disease, and determinants, while also revealing an updated approach for its evaluation and management.

Cholangiocarcinoma Among Children and Adolescents: A Review of the Literature and Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program Database Analysis

OBJECTIVE

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a biliary malignancy found primarily in adults. The incidence of CCA in children is unknown. The aim of this study was to describe characteristics of CCA in children and adolescents.

METHODS

Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (SEER 18) database, we identified incident cases of CCA diagnosed at <20 years of age during the period of 1973 to 2013. Additionally, we reviewed published case reports describing pediatric patients with CCA. We calculated descriptive statistics for CCA cases identified in SEER and in case reports. Kaplan-Meier analysis was performed to determine median and 3-year overall survival (OS) rates.

RESULTS

We identified 15 children and adolescents diagnosed as having CCA from SEER 18 with an incidence rate of 0.0036 per 100,000. Two-thirds of cases were male, and the majority were white (n = 10). The median age at diagnosis was 17 years (range: 11-19 years). Nine tumors were intrahepatic, 3 extrahepatic, and 3 unspecified. One-third had distal metastases at diagnosis. Eight patients underwent surgical resection including liver transplant in two. Six patients were alive at the time of follow-up. Patients without surgical treatment did not survive. Three-year OS was 50%. Twenty-two children with CCA were found in the literature with a median age at diagnosis of 15 years (range: 3-18 years). Half were male, and 90% had an underlying gastrointestinal comorbidity. Three-year OS was 35.3%.

CONCLUSIONS

CCA in children and adolescents is rare with poor survival. A high proportion of cases had a history of biliary disease. Surgical resection is necessary for cure.

Cholangiocarcinoma and high-grade dysplasia in young patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis

INTRODUCTION

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is very often an adulthood disease with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) as one of the risk factors. It is rarely seen in the pediatric population, and when it is diagnosed before adulthood, it can be associated with PSC as well as HIV infection, biliary atresia, radiation therapy, and choledochal cyst. Although there have been some case reports of pediatric CCA, cases of childhood CCA associated with PSC are still relatively rare.

AIM

To describe the clinical and pathologic features of CCA in pediatric patients with previously diagnosed PSC.

METHODS

Retrospective study

RESULTS

Four patients with PSC (age range 15-18, mean 17 years) were included in this study. All patients underwent ERCP for diagnosis. Tissue samples obtained included routine cytology and FISH. ERCP was used to target sites for tissue acquisition in all patients. 3/4 of patients have inflammatory bowel disease (two Crohn's disease and one ulcerative colitis). Alkaline phosphatase was elevated in 3/4 patients, aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase were elevated in 2/4 patients, and total bilirubin/direct bilirubin were elevated in 2/4 patients. 4/4 patients had positive FISH studies, and 3/4 patients had brush cytology concerning for CCA. 2/4 patients received chemotherapy, one patient underwent orthotopic liver transplant, and one patient underwent Whipple procedure. Two patients died soon after being diagnosed.

CONCLUSIONS

Young patients with PSC can develop CCA. This finding has implications for both screening and surveillance for cancer in pediatric patients with PSC.

Perinatally acquired HIV infection in adolescents from sub-Saharan Africa: a review of emerging challenges

Worldwide, more than three million children are infected with HIV, 90% of whom live in sub-Saharan Africa. As the HIV epidemic matures and antiretroviral treatment is scaled up, children with HIV are reaching adolescence in large numbers. The growing population of adolescents with perinatally acquired HIV infection living within this region presents not only unprecedented challenges but also opportunities to learn about the pathogenesis of HIV infection. In this Review, we discuss the changing epidemiology of paediatric HIV and the particular features of HIV infection in adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa. Longstanding HIV infection acquired when the immune system is not developed results in distinctive chronic clinical complications that cause severe morbidity. As well as dealing with chronic illness, HIV-infected adolescents have to confront psychosocial issues, maintain adherence to drugs, and learn to negotiate sexual relationships, while undergoing rapid physical and psychological development. Context-specific strategies for early identification of HIV infection in children and prompt linkage to care need to be developed. Clinical HIV care should integrate age-appropriate sexual and reproductive health and psychological, educational, and social services. Health-care workers will need to be trained to recognise and manage the needs of these young people so that the increasing numbers of children surviving to adolescence can access quality care beyond specialist services at low-level health-care facilities.