Burkitt lymphoma after solid-organ transplant: Treatment and outcomes in the paediatric PTLD collaborative

Br J Haematol. 2023 Feb;200(3):297-305. doi: 10.1111/bjh.18498. Epub 2022 Dec 1.

Abstract

Burkitt lymphoma arising in paediatric post-solid-organ transplantation-Burkitt lymphoma (PSOT-BL) is a clinically aggressive malignancy and a rare form of post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD). We evaluated 35 patients diagnosed with PSOT-BL at 14 paediatric medical centres in the United States. Median age at organ transplantation was 2.0 years (range: 0.1-14) and age at PSOT-BL diagnosis was 8.0 years (range: 1-17). All but one patient had late onset of PSOT-BL (≥2 years post-transplant), with a median interval from transplant to PSOT-BL diagnosis of 4.0 years (range: 0.4-12). Heart (n = 18 [51.4%]) and liver (n = 13 [37.1%]) were the most frequently transplanted organs. No patients had loss of graft or treatment-related mortality. A variety of treatment regimens were used, led by intensive Burkitt lymphoma-specific French-American-British/Lymphomes Malins B (FAB/LMB), n = 13 (37.1%), and a low-intensity regimen consisting of cyclophosphamide, prednisone and rituximab (CPR) n = 12 (34.3%). Median follow-up was 6.7 years (range: 0.5-17). Three-year event-free and overall survival were 66.2% and 88.0%, respectively. Outcomes of PSOT-BL patients receiving BL-specific intensive regimens are comparable to reported BL outcomes in immunocompetent children. Multi-institutional collaboration is feasible and provides the basis of prospective data collection to determine the optimal treatment regimen for PSOT-BL.

Keywords: Burkitt lymphoma; lymphoproliferative disorder; post-solid-organ transplantation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / adverse effects
  • Burkitt Lymphoma* / drug therapy
  • Burkitt Lymphoma* / therapy
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Cyclophosphamide / therapeutic use
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Lymphoproliferative Disorders* / etiology
  • Organ Transplantation* / adverse effects
  • Prednisone / therapeutic use
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Rituximab / therapeutic use
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Cyclophosphamide
  • Rituximab
  • Prednisone