[Clinical analysis of 69 cases of Burkitt's lymphoma]

Burkitt's lymphoma is a kind of highly aggressive B-cell lymphoma. Its clinical characteristics are different between the endemic areas in Africa and the sporadic areas in America and Europe. There is no large-scale report concerning Burkitt's lymphoma in China yet. This study was to summarize the characteristics of Burkitt's lymphoma in China.

Clinical data of 69 Burkitt's lymphoma patients, treated from May 1985 to May 2007 in Cancer Center of Sun Yat-sen University, were analyzed.

Of the 69 patients, 44 were men and 25 were women, with a median age of 7 (range, 2-72); 5 were at stage I, 9 at stage II, 21 at stage III, and 34 at stage IV, advanced stage (stages III and IV) accounted for 55 (79.7%) patients. Abdomen (63.8%), cervical lymph nodes (68.1%) and faciomaxillary-oropharynx (34.8%) were the most common involved sites. Bone marrow (21.9%) and central nervous system (17.4%) could also be involved. B symptoms were found in 34 patients. Serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level was elevated in 42 of 58 patients, while serum uric acid level was elevated in 13 of 56 patients. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection was found in 6 of 57 patients, Epstain-Barr virus (EBV) infection in 7 of 13 patients, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in 0 of 51 patients. Short-term and high intensive chemotherapy with central nervous system prophylaxis could improve the prognosis.

The clinical characteristics of these 69 Burkitt's lymphoma patients are much similar to those from sporadic areas, but the median age is lower, and the most common involved sites are cervical lymph nodes, abdomen and faciomaxillary-oropharynx.