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Heat shock proteins (HSPs) attract the attention of scientists and clinicians due to their potential role as diagnostic and prognostic factors in a variety of cancers. HSP90 is one of the most important and well-known family members, necessary for maintaining intracellular homeostasis. In the extracellular space, it is responsible for the transmission of alarm signals to the immune system. Numerous reports have indicated that the level of intra - and extracellular HSP90 can correlate either with a poorer prognosis or with a better outcome, depending on the type of cancer. Still, little is known why the level of this chaperone is increased in some tumors and decreased in others, reflecting dual role of protein in cell death processes. Currently, there is no database reporting levels of serum HSP90 in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). As such, using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method, we aimed to determine this parameter in a group of 21 patients with newly diagnosed ALL. We found decreased protein serum levels in patients at disease presentation and after induction block of chemotherapy in comparison to healthy controls. Furthermore, we observed a negative correlation between HSP90 serum levels and one of the earliest prognostic factors of the treatment response - peripheral blood lymphoblasts on the 8th day of treatment. Our results indicate that HSP90 serum may play an important role in leukemogenesis and could be used as a marker to predict treatment failure in children with ALL.

Rosai-Dorfman disease (RDD), also known as sinus histiocytosis with massive lymphadenopathy, is a rare, benign clinical entity of unknown cause. RDD is characterised by the overproduction and accumulation of histiocytes, primarily in the lymph nodes, although it may affect every organ and system. It predominantly affects children and young adults. Typically, patients are in good general condition, with massive cervical lymphadenopathy and fever. In about 40% of cases extranodal localisation of RDD is diagnosed. In laboratory tests the most common abnormalities are increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), leukocytosis with neutrophilia, normocytic anaemia, and hypergammaglobulinaemia. Histopathological examination remains the mainstay of diagnosis - lymph nodes have massive sinusoidal dilation, containing histiocytes positive for S-100 and CD68, and negative for CD1a. Most patients do not require treatment as spontaneous remissions are observed. We present a brief review of the literature and the case of a six-year-old boy with cervical lymphadenopathy diagnosed with RDD. So far, the patient has not required systemic treatment and has been kept under observation.

Mastocytosis is a disease caused by the accumulation of mast cells (MC) in the skin and/or in other tissues. Both the cutaneous form of the disease (CM) predominating in children and the systemic form (SM) typical for adults are associated with the occurrence of MC mediator-related symptoms. The release of mediators can be induced by physical stimuli and/or specific triggering factors. The routine vaccination program performed in the majority of children in infancy can be considered as an additional factor provoking exacerbation of CM. Conscious of the important role of MC in the innate immunity, we have analysed retrospective data concerning the levels of immunoglobulins, an adaptive factor, in a group of 74 infants and toddlers with CM. The values corresponding to transient hypogammaglobulinaemia of infants (THI) were found in 8 (10.81%) of cases. Classification of the antibody deficiency was done according to the working definitions for clinical diagnosis of primary immunodeficiency of the European Society of Immunodeficiencies (ESID) Registry - version May 11, 2015. Following the retrospective data, the final diagnosis of THI cannot be made due to the young age of the study group. The percentage may significantly exceed the published incidence of THI, i.e. about 0.11%. The results of our study may indicate, importantly, a higher incidence of THI in childhood-onset mastocytosis than in the general paediatric population and strengthen indications for vaccinations. In conclusion, we suggest that THI may be considered as a new aspect of paediatric mastocytosis that requires further investigation.