Management of primary central nervous system lymphoma in children

Primary Central Nervous System Burkitt's Lymphoma in a Pediatric Patient: A Case Report and Literature Review

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this research is to examine the therapy and outlook of pediatric primary central nervous system Burkitt lymphomas.

METHODS

This study involves a retrospective analysis of the clinical data of a child with primary central nervous system Burkitt lymphoma who underwent treatment in our department. In addition, pertinent literature was reviewed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the topic.

RESULTS

The patient was admitted to the neurosurgery department with symptoms of headache and vomiting. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed multiple lesions in the right frontal and temporal lobes, dorsal thalamus, and posterior medulla oblongata. Most of the tumor mass was surgically removed from the right ventricle and diagnosed as Burkitt lymphoma. Abnormal lymph nodes were not found outside of the central nervous system. The patient achieved complete remission (CR) after receiving 6 cycles of treatment (R-AA-BB-CC-AA-BB-CC) based on the regimen of the Southern Pediatric Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Treatment Collaboration Group 2017. As of November 23, 2023, the patient remained alive with no evidence of recurrence.

CONCLUSIONS

Primary central nervous system Burkitt lymphoma is rare in children, and there is no universally accepted treatment protocol. However, the regimen outlined by the South China Children's Cancer Group-Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in 2017 (SCCCG-NHL-2017) can serve as a useful reference for treating pediatric non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

The Molecular Landscape of Primary CNS Lymphomas (PCNSLs) in Children and Young Adults

Pediatric brain tumors are often noted to be different from their adult counterparts in terms of molecular features. Primary CNS lymphomas (PCNSLs) are mostly found in elderly adults and are uncommon in children and teenagers. There has only been scanty information about the molecular features of PCNSLs at a young age. We examined PCNSLs in 34 young patients aged between 7 and 39 years for gene rearrangements of BCl2, BCL6, CCND1, IRF4, IGH, IGL, IGK, and MYC, homozygous deletions (HD) of CDKN2A, and HLA by FISH. Sequencing was performed using WES, panel target sequencing, or Sanger sequencing due to the small amount of available tissues. The median OS was 97.5 months and longer than that for older patients with PCNSLs. Overall, only 14 instances of gene rearrangement were found (5%), and patients with any gene rearrangement were significantly older (p = 0.029). CDKN2A HD was associated with a shorter OS (p < 0.001). Only 10/31 (32%) showed MYD88 mutations, which were not prognostically significant, and only three of them were L265P mutations. CARD11 mutations were found in 8/24 (33%) cases only. Immunophenotypically, the cases were predominantly GCB, in contrast to older adults (61%). In summary, we showed that molecular findings identified in the PCNSLs of the older patients were only sparingly present in pediatric and young adult patients.

[Clinical study of 15 cases of primary non-immunodeficient central nervous system lymphoma in children]

Clinical data of 15 primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) children aged ≤18 years admitted to our hospital between May 2013 to May 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. Our goal was to summarize the clinical features of children and investigate the therapeutic effect of a high-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX) based chemotherapy regimen on this disease. The male-to-female ratio was 2.7∶1, and the median age was 7.2 (2.3-16.4) years at diagnosis. The initial clinical symptoms were primarily cranial hypertension, with imaging findings revealing multiple lesions. Pediatric PCNSL with normal immune function has a favorable prognosis with HD-MTX-based chemotherapy. Patients with a stable disease can be treated with minimal or no maintenance. HD-MTX-based chemotherapy remains effective when the disease progresses or recurs after an initial course of non-HD-MTX-based chemotherapy.

Case series on patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma: From clinical presentations to outcomes

Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is a rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. In this report, we present 11 cases of PCNSL which were treated with high-dose MTX and WBI with a localized radiation boost to the tumor bed.

Primary central nervous system lymphoblastic B cell lymphoma located at cerebellum in a child: A case report and literature review

INTRODUCTION

Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is extremely rare in pediatric population. We reported a case of PCNSL in a 3-year-old girl and reviewed the literature in the past three decades.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 3-year-old girl presented with gait disturbance. A contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance image of the brain showed a solitary bulky mass in the left cerebellar hemisphere, hydrocephalus and cerebellar tonsillar hernia. Surgical resection was performed and the patient was diagnosed with primary central nervous system lymphoblastic B cell lymphoma. Then the patient received regular chemotherapy, including 6 cycles of chemotherapy containing high-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX). The patient remains alive 15 months after the diagnosis with no evidence of active disease, but suffered twice chronic subdural hematoma, which was treated by burr hole drainage.

CONCLUSION

Lymphoblastic B cell lymphoma is a rare histologic subtype of pediatric PCNSL. Chemotherapy containing HD-MTX remains the most effective treatment. The patient should avoid head impact after surgical resection of the tumor to prevent chronic subdural hematoma.

Primary central nervous system lymphoma: initial features, outcome, and late effects in 75 children and adolescents

Children with PCNSL and no immunodeficiency have a good outcome when treated by a histological subtype–driven and radiation-free protocol. New treatment guidelines are needed for PCNSL in children and adolescents with an underlying immunodeficiency.

Mature B-NHL in children, adolescents and young adults: current therapeutic approach and emerging treatment strategies

Mature B cell lymphomas account for approximately 60% of all cases of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in children and adolescents and includes Burkitt lymphoma (BL), diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and other less common histologies. The outcome for patients treated with modern regimens in resource-intensive settings is excellent. Improvements in care have been accomplished through enhanced supportive therapy, including tumour lysis management and incremental refinement of chemotherapy backbones via cooperative group clinical trials in which patients receive risk group-specific intensive chemotherapy. More recent trials have established the safety and efficacy of immunotherapy. Ongoing work is required to address the substantial burden of acute therapy-related toxicity, as well as the identification of effective therapies for those patients with relapsed and refractory disease, for whom outcomes remain very poor. In this review we will summarize the results from recent therapeutic clinical trials, describe the evidence to support the inclusion of rituximab and review the rationale for the investigation of several new categories of novel agents for mature B cell lymphomas in children and adolescents.