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Thymomas and thymic carcinomas are rare neoplasms derived from the epithelial tissue of thymus, very infrequently developing in young adults and children. The estimation of thymomas' invasiveness has been the matter of discussion for many years reflected by numerous clinical and histological classifications. In 1999 the WHO classification was created, joining all the most important issues present in previously used systems. It is believed that histological structure is the most important prognostic factor in thymic carcinomas while in less aggressive types of thymomas the clinical stages influence the outcome. Staging of thymomas is most commonly based on the Masoka classification. Independent evaluation of the stage and histological aggressiveness are necessary to predict the clinical course and outcome in thymomas. Thus the term 'malignant thymoma' has been replaced by 'invasive thymoma' in clinical practice. The treatment strategy depends on the clinical stages of thymoma. Complete resection of the tumour is the treatment of choice with supplementing radiotherapy in more advanced clinical stages. Chemotherapy in invasive thymomas has been reported to play an increasingly important role as induction, supplementing and palliative therapy. It has been proved that combined treatment improves the outcome in invasive thymomas, especially in thymic carcinomas. This paper reviews the literature data concerning the histology, clinical issues and treatment of thymomas and thymic carcinomas. The clinical data on nine children with thymic carcinomas treated between 1992 and 2006 in the Polish oncological and surgical centres were also analysed and presented. Based on multicentre data we were able to conclude the following: 1. Thymic carcinomas in children are very rare and that is why early diagnosis is often difficult. 2. At diagnosis most cases are already inoperable, which results in poorer prognosis. 3. Complex adjuvant chemo- and radiotherapy in childhood thymic carcinomas seem to prolong overall survival. 4. Further detailed analysis in all the cases of thymic carcinomas in children is recommended in order to estimate the optimal strategy of treatment.

Congenital neutropenia predisposes to the development of haematopoetic malignancies. We present a 3,5-year child, diagnosed with congenital neutropenia at the age of I month. The diagnosis was based on peripheral blood and bone marrow aspirate analyses, performed after the treatment of multiple axillar abscesses. Recurrent infections were treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics and leukocyte colony stimulating factors. At the age of 19 months during routine check-up the child presented with gingival hypertrophy, fragility and bleeding. The histopathological analysis of gingival biopsy was consisted with the diagnosis of Langerhans cell histiocytosis. The child was treated according to LCH protocol for therapeutic group C. After 12 months of such chemotherapy, the follow-up histopathological analysis of gingival biopsy revealed the presence of Langerhans cells, which was the indication for chemotherapy prolongation (6 additional VP courses). Chemotherapy was completed after 6 additional courses and the disease remission was confirmed by histopathological analysis of gingival biopsy. Congenital neutropenia predisposes to myeloproliferative disorders, particularly to childhood myeloblastic leukemia. Based on the presented case report we would like to emphasize the possibility of other hematological syndromes development.