Secretory diarrhea as paraneoplastic syndrome in neuroblastoma

Secretory diarrhea (SD) due to increased production of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) in neuroblastoma (NB) is a rare paraneoplastic syndrome (PNS). Depending on the time of development of SD in relation to the diagnosis of NB, primary and secondary hypersecretion of VIP is distinguished. It is difficult to diagnose NB in the debut of a disease in a child with diarrhea as the main symptom, given that diarrhea is one of the most common syndromes found in pediatric practice and characteristic of acute intestinal infections, especially in young children. However, long-term SD in a child is an indication for screening for a neurogenic tumor. This article describes 2 clinical cases of PNS in patients with NB in the form of SD, which developed before the diagnosis of a malignant neoplasm, and at the stage of special treatment, as well as a review of the literature.

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Funding. The study was performed without external funding.

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