Low-Intensity Therapy in Adults with Burkitt's Lymphoma

Toxic high-dose chemotherapy may not be necessary to cure Burkitt's lymphoma in adults and patients with immunodeficiency. An infusion-based chemotherapy program with modest toxicity administered mainly in outpatients resulted in an overall survival rate of 90 to 100%. Burkitt's lymphoma, first described by Denis Burkitt in African children, is a highly proliferative human cancer. 1 Although rare, Burkitt's lymphoma disproportionately affects children, accounting for 30 to 50% of pediatric lymphomas. Three major variants are recognized: endemic, which occurs in equatorial Africa; sporadic, which occurs worldwide; and immunodeficiency-associated, which occurs primarily in persons with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Young patients with sporadic Burkitt's lymphoma have a favorable outcome with intense short-cycle treatment, whereas adult patients and those with immunodeficiency have inferior outcomes. 2 – 7 Burkitt's lymphoma is derived from a germinal-center B cell and has distinct oncogenic pathways. 8 , 9 A . . .