Musculoskeletal manifestations of neoplasms in children: three reported cases

Abstract

Introduction: Musculoskeletal (MS) pain is a common complaint in childhood, usu- ally caused by trivial ailments. Among less frequent causes we may find rheu- matological and neoplastic pathologies. We present 3 clinical cases in which a rheumatological cause was initially suspected, as they started out with arthritis or arthralgia, but where the diagnosis was finally a neoplasm. Clinical cases: the first case was a high-risk Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), the second case was a Ewing’s sarcoma, and the third case was a common ALL. Two of the cases had unfavourable outcomes and passed away. Literature review: Findings that should make us suspect neoplastic causes are disproportionate MS pain, altered hemogram, elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate and lactate dehydrogenase, and an x ray with suggestive alterations. Conclusions: When faced with MS pain in children, neoplastic causes must be taken into account despite their low frequency given the poor prognosis associated with the diagnosis.