Real-world efficacy and toxicity of the LMBA02 protocol for Burkitt lymphoma in Morocco

Burkitt lymphoma (BL) is a highly aggressive B cell lymphoma that accounts for 1 to 5% of cases in Western Europe. In France, the LMBA02 protocol has shown promising overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) rates, with 83 and 75% respectively for patients receiving rituximab. In Morocco, the LMBA02 regimen is used for BL treatment.

In this study, we aimed to retrospectively analyze the real-world efficacy and toxicity of the LMBA02 protocol in daily clinical practice. We conducted a retrospective monocentric study on adult patients aged 18years and above, newly diagnosed with BL between 2010 and 2019, and treated with the LMBA02 protocol at the hematology center of the 20 Août 1953 hospital in Casablanca.

A total of 63 patients were newly diagnosed with BL, of which 58 patients were evaluable. The average duration of treatment was 19weeks (14-28) for group B patients and 37.5weeks (26-48) for group C patients. Among the patients, 33 (56%) achieved a complete response (CR) at the end of treatment. Four patients relapsed. Eleven patients died due to treatment toxicity, resulting in a treatment-related mortality rate (TRM) of 19%. The estimated 5-year EFS and OS rates for all 63 patients were 54 and 69%, respectively. Notably, the 5-year overall survival estimates for groups B and C were 77 and 46% (P=0.02) respectively. Univariate analysis of OS for the 63 patients revealed that a low serum LDH level (P=0.009) and receiving rituximab (P=0.006) were associated with significantly better 5-year OS.

Key findings from this analysis include comparable survival rates in adults with BL compared to previous real-life studies, a significant and high TRM rate, and a survival benefit associated with rituximab treatment.