Graft versus Burkitt's lymphoma effect after allogeneic marrow transplantation

While modern intensive chemotherapy protocols cure the majority of patients with Burkitt's lymphoma, the prospects of cure with salvage chemotherapy for relapsed or refractory disease are minimal. There are limited data on the results of allografting for well characterised Burkitt's lymphoma and in particular little on the impact of GVHD on transplant outcome. We report a patient with t(8;22) Burkitt's lymphoma who underwent an HLA-identical sibling allograft in second complete remission. Relapse occurred at day 60 post-transplant, without pre-existing GVHD. GVHD subsequently developed after withdrawal of immunosuppression and administration of alpha-interferon. Concomitantly the lymphoma regressed, consistent with a graft versus Burkitt's effect, until progression at day 200. A delayed, partial and transient response subsequently occurred to rituximab, a chimeric monoclonal antibody against the CD20 antigen. These observations suggest that immunotherapeutic approaches should be considered for Burkitt's lymphoma unable to be cured by conventional chemotherapy.