Treatment Outcome of Adult Burkitt Lymphoma in Japanese Patients with Modified LMB Protocol : A Single Center Retrospective Analysis

Abstract

The prognosis of adult Burkitt lymphoma (BL) has improved in western countries since the introduction of high-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX)-containing chemotherapy. Here we analyzed nine consecutive Japanese patients diagnosed with BL at our institution. All except for the three elderly (> 70 years) patients were treated with a regimen including 13 g/m² HD-MTX in total, divided into 3 cycles. The median follow-up period was 56 months (range 38-118). All the nine patients achieved complete remission and have not shown any disease progression, including the three elderly patients who received reduced doses or alternative treatments. These observations suggest that chemotherapy including 13 g/m² HD-MTX in total is tolerable and effective in Japanese adult BL patients aged < 70 and that BL is curable even if developed in those who are > 70 years. [J Clin Exp Hematopathol 51(2) : 109-114, 2011]