Child pleuropulmonary blastoma

Pleuropulmonary blastoma is an extremely rare and aggressive thoracic tumour seen exclusively in children. The initial symptoms are respiratory and non specific and the chest X-ray done in that context reveals a thoracic mass. The chest CT scan then leads to the diagnosis of a cystic, mixt or solid mass. The diagnosis will be affirmed on anatomopathology of the tumour or biopsy. There are three different histological types: type I, cystic, type II, cystic and solid and type III, solid exclusively. Type I is less aggressive and its treatment is essentially surgical. Types II and III are highly aggressive and require surgery associated to polychemotherapy. In all cases, surgery is essential and should be the most complete possible. Extension and follow-up exams will include bone scan and brain imagery searching for metastasis as well as abdominal ultrasound searching associated renal lesions because 30% of pleuropulmonary blastoma are part of a familial predisposition syndrome.