OBJECTIVE

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-related non-Hodgkin lymphoma is treated similarly to non-acquired immunodeficiency syndrome lymphoma, but it is not clear whether highly intensive regimens are beneficial for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-related Burkitt lymphoma. We conducted a multicenter retrospective survey to clarify the clinical outcomes of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-related Burkitt lymphoma in the combined antiretroviral therapy era in Japan.

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed the outcome of 33 patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-related Burkitt lymphoma, who were diagnosed at five regional hospitals for human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in Japan between January 2002 and December 2010.

RESULTS

The median follow-up period was 20.0 months (range 0.5-92.7 months). Six (18.2%) patients were treated with cyclophosphamide, vincristine, doxorubicin, high-dose methotrexate, ifosphamide, etoposide and high-dose cytarabine, and 23 (69.7%) patients were treated with hyperfractionated cyclophosphamide, vincristine, doxorubicin, dexamethasone, high-dose methotrexate and high-dose cytarabine. The overall response rate for all patients was 78.8%, with a complete response rate of 72.7%. The two-year overall survival rate was 68.1%. There was no significant difference in overall survival between chemotherapeutic regimens with rituximab (n = 20) and without rituximab (n = 13) (P = 0.49). The two-year overall survival rate was 66.7% for patients receiving cyclophosphamide, vincristine, doxorubicin, dexamethasone, etoposide, ifosfamide and cytarabine, and was 72.6% for patients receiving cyclophosphamide, vincristine, doxorubicin, dexamethasone, methotrexate and cytarabine (P = 0.72). There was one treatment-related death.

CONCLUSIONS

Highly intensive chemotherapy would bring a high remission rate and prolonged overall survival for patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-related Burkitt lymphoma.