Is it cancer? Yes… No… Maybe. Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis (LCH) is treated by oncologists, but the National Cancer Institute is unsure if it’s 'cancer or a cancer-like disease'. In all cases, we know much more about the disease today; enough for its name to have changed from Histiocytosis X, which reminded us of a certain TV show.
LCH is a proliferation of inflammatory immune cells, histiocytes, that are a type of dendritic cell. These cells are immature but can still infiltrate multiple body parts. In the bones, they cause breakdown. In the skin, they cause brown to purplish lesions. In the central nervous system, they cause neurological deficits. This rare disease affects children most commonly, unlike the age range of a certain TV show.
Learn more by watching the above video.
