Spontaneous rupture with internal bleeding of solid tumors has rarely been described at the time of diagnosis or during chemotherapy. This rare event must be regarded as a life threatening condition. In these emergency situations, control of hemorrhage, which is life-saving, can be achieved by transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) and/or surgical resection. This report describes two infants presenting with acute hemorrhagic shock due to spontaneous tumor rupture of hepatoblastoma and neuroblastoma during chemotherapy. TAE successfully arrested the tumor bleeding and a visibly reduced the tumor size in both children. Spontaneous rupture of solid tumors occur infrequently in children, but is a life threatening situation. Careful monitoring for the occurrence of this rare event especially in very young children presenting with a large tumor mass.
Child ; Diagnosis ; Drug Therapy ; Emergencies ; Hemorrhage ; Hepatoblastoma ; Humans ; Infant ; Neuroblastoma ; Rupture ; Rupture, Spontaneous ; Shock, Hemorrhagic