Child Health 7 - Freya

On day five of admission the fevers are still ongoing. An ultrasound of the neck confirms a group of enlarged lymph nodes, but with no collection, ie no abscess.

Given the ongoing symptoms despite IV antibiotics, the team are concerned this may not be a simple lymphadenitis.

The decision is made to undertake a biopsy of the enlarged lymph node in Freya’s neck.

(Image by 'Nephron'. Used under Creative Commons 3.0 license)

This shows large numbers of highly active, atypical cells and further staining is suggestive of a rare form of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma called Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma.

Both major sub-types of lymphoma (Hodgkins and Non-Hodgkins) can present in similar ways.