Metastatic squamous-cell carcinoma of the lung arising in a 12-year-old boy with juvenile recurrent respiratory papillomatosis of neonatal onset

Abstract

Juvenile recurrent respiratory papillomatosis is the most common benign neoplastic disease of the larynx in children, characterized by numerous squamous papillomas caused by Human Papilloma Virus type 6 and 11. HPV is thought to be acquired at the time of vaginal delivery from maternal genital condylomas. Juvenile recurrent respiratory papillomatosis can be protracted by surgical interventions performed to avoid airway obstruction and extend below the vocal cords as far as the main stem bronchi. Lung involvement in Juvenile recurrent respiratory papillomatosis seems to be more prevalent than non-systematic reviews have reported until now and progression to cancer occurs in a significant proportion of these cases at a younger age than previously reported. This would suggest that closer attention should be paid to these children. We report a case of malignant transformation in a 12 year-old boy followed-up since the birth for an invasive juvenile recurrent respiratory papillomatosis with pulmonary involvement. The presence of HPV 6/11 was demonstrated by PCR analysis performed on material obtained from a metastatic vertebral lesion.