Bone involvement in pediatric non-Hodgkin's lymphomas

Data pertaining to primary and secondary osseous involvement in pediatric non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) are scarce in English literature. Fifty-nine cases of childhood NHL over a period of 3.5 years were reviewed out of which eight had bone involvement, the incidence of skeletal involvement being 13.6%. There were seven males (87.5%) and mean age was 9.9 years (range: 1-15 years). Two patients (25%) had primary bone lymphoma and six cases (75%) were classified as secondary bone lymphoma. Six patients who opted for treatment received chemotherapy; 4/6 (67%) patients are in complete remission at a median follow-up of 41 months (range 19-44 months). Bone involvement was more common in relapsed cases in comparison to de novo presentations.