Dermatological manifestations in pediatric oncology patients in a tertiary hospital in Honduras

Abstract

Background: Pediatric cancer patients can develop dermatological lesions secondary to antineoplastic therapy, appearance of skin, hair and nails. Objective: To describe the dermatological manifestations in hospitalized pediatric cancer patients. Methods: Cross-sectional descriptive study carried out in the Pediatric Hemato-Oncology room, Hospital Escuela, from January to June 2022. 86 patients who presented dermatological manifestations during the study period were included. For the analysis, results such as frequencies, percentages and descriptive statistics were generated. The proportion of patients with dermatological manifestations will be extended as the total number of patients with dermatological diagnoses in the study period/Total number of patients hospitalized in the Pediatric Hemato-Oncology Ward multiplied by 100. Results: The mean age was 9.4 years (SD +/ -5.0; range: 5 months-18 years). The male sex predominated in 62.8% (54/86), Francisco Morazán origin 41.9% (36/86) and rural environment 53.5% (46/86). The dermatological diagnosis was acute lymphoblastic leukemia 60.5% (52/86), the classification was hematological malignancies 67.4% (58/86). The main oncological drug administered was Vincristine 76.7% (76/86). The main antineoplastic agent administered was vegetable alkaloids 75.6% (65/86). The type of lesion erythema 38.5% (34/86); the location of the lesion was on the skin in 47.6% (41/86). Dermatological diagnosis was alopecia and mucositis 36.0% (31/86) respectively. The proportion of dermatological lesions was 65.1% (86/132) and 82.6% (71/86) were classified as secondary to cancer treatment. Discussion: The proportion of dermatological lesions was 65%, the main manifestations being alopecia and mucositis, possibly secondary to the administration of antineoplastic therapy, specifically plant alkaloids, similar to what has been reported in the literature.