Children (Oct 2020)

Pulmonary Exacerbation of Undiagnosed Toxocariasis in Intensively-Treated High-Risk Neuroblastoma Patients

  • Szymon Janczar,
  • Monika Bulas,
  • Justyna Walenciak,
  • Dobromila Baranska,
  • Marek Ussowicz,
  • Wojciech Młynarski,
  • Beata Zalewska-Szewczyk

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/children7100169
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 7, no. 10
p. 169

Abstract

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Toxocariasis is one of the most common zoonoses, with high seroprevalence in apparently healthy individuals. Neuroblastoma is an aggressive childhood cancer. The cure rates are improving due to dose-dense chemotherapy, progress in surgical practice, myeloablative therapy with autologous stem cell transplantation, and recently, anti-GD2 immunotherapy. This is associated with a burden of complications, some of which are relatively specific for neuroblastoma treatment. Based on previous reports of Toxocara canis infection in high-risk neuroblastoma patients and cases of pulmonary exacerbation from our center in this disease, we propose that toxocariasis is a specific complication of intensive pediatric cancer treatment and advocate for active surveillance.

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