Abstract
Original Research Article
Full Article (FREE DOWNLOAD)
SMJS Volume 3 Issue 1, Page 11- Page 21
CERVICAL RIBS: ASSOCIATION WITH CHILDHOOD NEOPLASMS AND IMPLICATION IN THORACIC OUTLET SYNDROME
Yazan M. Nader Kalou, Muhammad Zia Iqbal, Mazhar Mushtaq
Importance: To describe the association between cervical rib (CR) and different types of pediatric neoplasms focusing on their embryological origin.
Objective: The purpose of this study is to review the association between the development of CR and childhood cancers. Also, we are describing the wide range of clinical manifestations of CR and their causality of Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS) among paediatrics and adults.
Evidence Review: A thorough search through Medline and ScienceDirect databases was conducted to identify any relevant studies. The eligible extracted manuscripts were of CR and its association with childhood cancers or thoracic outlet syndrome. The resultant 87 studies were filtered down to 43.
Findings: Prevalence of CR was reported from 15.2% in Oceania to 0.8% in Africa in a recent meta-analysis. CR was reported in 2 out of 4 case-control studies in 26.8% of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) cases in the first study and in 12.1% in the second study. Also, 27.4% of patients with a brain tumour had a CR anomaly in the first study compared with 18.2% of astrocytoma patients in the other research. However, there was no significant association between CR and any malignancies in the other studies.
Conclusion and Relevance: CR may co-occur with pediatric neoplasms such as ALL, neuroblastoma and astrocytoma due to the similarity in their abnormal genetic abnormalities. It is believed that over-expression or down-expression of specific HOX genes is associated with both pediatric neoplasms and CR. Thus, CR may be an accompanying sign for particular malignancies. Also, CR is an essential etiology for non-traumatic TOS giving rise to acute limb ischemia or cerebrovascular accidents.
Key words: Cervical Rib, Embryology, Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, Rib anomalies, Neoplasm.
To cite this article: Kalou YM, Iqbal MZ, Mushtaq M. Cervical Ribs: Association With Childhood Neoplasms And Implication In Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. Saudi Med J Students. 2022;3(1): 11-21
