ArticleEuropean journal of haematology2026
Clinical and Laboratory Indicators of Pediatric Leukemia and Neuroblastoma in Musculoskeletal Presentations: A Retrospective Study From a Resource-Limited Setting.
Article in European journal of haematology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Differentiating Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis From Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in Children: A Multidisciplinary Diagnostic Approach, Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of clinical medicine research · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMusculoskeletal (MSK) symptoms are a frequent but diagnostically ambiguous presentation in children with malignancies such as leukemia and neuroblastoma. These symptoms may precede hematologic abnormalities, complicating early diagnosis and increasing the risk of misclassification. Inappropriate treatments, such as corticosteroids, may further obscure disease features.
objectiveTo identify clinical and laboratory indicators of leukemia and neuroblastoma at initial evaluation in children presenting with MSK symptoms and to develop a simple preliminary triage tool (TRIM).
methodsIn this retrospective study, 333 of 457 children (≤ 18 years) with MSK symptoms (2020-2024) had ≥ 6 months follow-up and were included. Clinical and laboratory data from the first encounter were analyzed. Predictors were identified using Firth logistic regression and incorporated into weighted subscores for leukemia (TRIM-L) and neuroblastoma (TRIM-N). Performance was assessed using AUC and predictive metrics with bootstrap internal validation.
resultsMalignancy was diagnosed in 9/333 patients (2.7%; leukemia 1.5%, neuroblastoma 1.2%). Independent indicators of leukemia were splenomegaly, hemoglobin < 8.5 g/dL, and platelet count < 150 000/μL. Independent indicators of neuroblastoma were lymphadenopathy, weight loss, and LDH > 400 U/L. Discrimination was high (AUC: leukemia 0.996; neuroblastoma 0.963). Using a cutoff ≥ 2, TRIM-L achieved 100% sensitivity, 97% specificity, and 100% NPV; TRIM-N achieved 75% sensitivity, 97.3% specificity, and 99.7% NPV.
conclusionsSplenomegaly, cytopenias, lymphadenopathy, elevated LDH, and weight loss were key early indicators of malignancy in children presenting with MSK symptoms. The internally derived TRIM score showed excellent negative predictive value and may assist early triage; however, external validation is required before clinical application.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.