Burkitt Lymphoma: The Curable Challenge

Authors

  • Adam J. Olszewski, MD Department of Medicine, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI Division of Hematology-Oncology, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58931/cht.2024.3147

Abstract

Among the multiple subtypes of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Burkitt lymphoma (BL) holds a unique position as the most aggressive mature B-cell malignancy. Named after the British physician who first described rapidly growing jaw and abdominal tumours in Ugandan children in 1958, BL is now understood to be a highly proliferative lymphoma arising from B-cells in the dark-zone germinal centre. BL is driven by the hallmark genomic lesion (IG::MYC rearrangement) and occurs in specific epidemiologic and clinical contexts.

Author Biography

Adam J. Olszewski, MD, Department of Medicine, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI Division of Hematology-Oncology, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI

Dr. Adam Olszewski is Associate Professor of Medicine at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, and an oncologist specializing in the management of lymphoma. He is a faculty member at the Lifespan Cancer Institute at Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI, a Research Scholar of the American Cancer Society and a Scholar in Clinical Research of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. His research has also been supported by the American Society of Hematology and the National Institutes of Health. His focus is on clinical trials and observational studies, particularly developing immunotherapies and molecularly targeted approaches for the treatment of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, as well as molecular correlates of responsiveness to these therapies.

References

Burkitt D. A sarcoma involving the jaws in African children. Br J Surg. 1958;46(197):218-223. doi:10.1002/bjs.18004619704 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/bjs.18004619704

López C, Burkhardt B, Chan JKC, Leoncini L, Mbulaiteye SM, Ogwang MD, et al. Burkitt lymphoma. Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2022;8(1):78. doi:10.1038/s41572-022-00404-3 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41572-022-00404-3

Zayac AS, Olszewski AJ. Burkitt lymphoma: bridging the gap between advances in molecular biology and therapy. Leuk Lymphoma. 2020;61(8):1784-1796. doi:10.1080/10428194.2020.1747068 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10428194.2020.1747068

Roschewski M, Staudt LM, Wilson WH. Burkitt’s Lymphoma. N Engl J Med. 2022;387(12):1111-1122. doi:10.1056/NEJMra2025746 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMra2025746

Alaggio R, Amador C, Anagnostopoulos I, Attygalle AD, Araujo IBO, Berti E, et al. The 5th edition of the World Health Organization Classification of Haematolymphoid Tumours: Lymphoid Neoplasms. Leukemia. 2022;36(7):1720-1748. doi:10.1038/s41375-022-01620-2 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41375-022-01620-2

Mburu W, Devesa SS, Check D, Shiels MS, Mbulaiteye SM. Incidence of Burkitt lymphoma in the United States during 2000 to 2019. Int J Cancer. 2023;153(6):1182-1191. doi:10.1002/ijc.34618 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ijc.34618

Evens AM, Danilov A, Jagadeesh D, Sperling A, Kim SH, Vaca R, et al. Burkitt lymphoma in the modern era: real-world outcomes and prognostication across 30 US cancer centers. Blood. 2021;137(3):374-386. doi:10.1182/blood.2020006926 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1182/blood.2020006926

Thomas N, Dreval K, Gerhard DS, Hilton LK, Abramson JS, Ambinder RF, et al. Genetic subgroups inform on pathobiology in adult and pediatric Burkitt lymphoma. Blood. 2023;141(8):904-916. doi:10.1182/blood.2022016534 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1182/blood.2022016534

Olszewski AJ, Jakobsen LH, Collins GP, Cwynarski K, Bachanova V, Blum KA, et al. Burkitt Lymphoma International Prognostic Index. J Clin Oncol. 2021;39(10):1129-1138. doi:10.1200/jco.20.03288 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.20.03288

Dunleavy K, Gross TG. Management of aggressive B-cell NHLs in the AYA population: an adult vs pediatric perspective. Blood. 2018;132(4):369-375. doi:10.1182/blood-2018-02-778480 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1182/blood-2018-02-778480

Minard-Colin V, Aupérin A, Pillon M, Burke GAA, Barkauskas DA, Wheatley K, et al. Rituximab for high-risk, mature B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in children. N Engl J Med. 2020;382(23):2207-2219. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1915315 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1915315

Crombie J, LaCasce A. The treatment of Burkitt lymphoma in adults. Blood. 2021;137(6):743-750. doi:10.1182/blood.2019004099 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1182/blood.2019004099

Mead GM, Barrans SL, Qian W, Walewski J, Radford JA, Wolf M, et al. A prospective clinicopathologic study of dose-modified CODOX-M/IVAC in patients with sporadic Burkitt lymphoma defined using cytogenetic and immunophenotypic criteria (MRC/NCRI LY10 trial). Blood. 2008;112(6):2248-2260. doi:10.1182/blood-2008-03-145128 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1182/blood-2008-03-145128

Noy A, Lee JY, Cesarman E, Ambinder R, Baiocchi R, Reid E, et al. AMC 048: modified CODOX-M/IVAC-rituximab is safe and effective for HIV-associated Burkitt lymphoma. Blood. 2015;126(2):160-166. doi:10.1182/blood-2015-01-623900 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1182/blood-2015-01-623900

Chamuleau MED, Stenner F, Chitu DA, Novak U, Minnema MC, Geerts P, et al. R-CODOX-M/R-IVAC versus DA-EPOCH-R in patients with newly diagnosed Burkitt lymphoma (HOVON/SAKK): final results of a multicentre, phase 3, open-label, randomised trial. Lancet Haematol. 2023;10(12):e966-e975. doi:10.1016/s2352-3026(23)00279-x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-3026(23)00279-X

Thomas DA, Faderl S, O’Brien S, Bueso-Ramos C, Cortes J, Garcia-Manero G, et al. Chemoimmunotherapy with hyper-CVAD plus rituximab for the treatment of adult Burkitt and Burkitt-type lymphoma or acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Cancer. 2006;106(7):1569-1580. doi:10.1002/cncr.21776 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/cncr.21776

Dunleavy K, Pittaluga S, Shovlin M, Steinberg SM, Cole D, Grant C, et al. Low-intensity therapy in adults with Burkitt’s lymphoma. N Engl J Med. 2013;369(20):1915-1925. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1308392 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1308392

Roschewski M, Dunleavy K, Abramson JS, Powell BL, Link BK, Patel P, et al. Multicenter study of risk-adapted therapy with dose-adjusted EPOCH-R in adults with untreated Burkitt lymphoma. J Clin Oncol. 2020;38(22):2519-2529. doi:10.1200/jco.20.00303 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.20.00303

Samples LS, Sadrzadeh H, Frigault MJ, Jacobson CA, Hamadani M, Gurumurthi A, et al. Outcomes among adult recipients of CD19 CAR T-cell therapy for Burkitt lymphoma. Journal of Clinical Oncology. 2023;41(16_suppl):7571-7571. doi:10.1200/JCO.2023.41.16_suppl.7571 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.2023.41.16_suppl.7571

Published

2024-04-25

How to Cite

1.
Olszewski AJ. Burkitt Lymphoma: The Curable Challenge. Can Hematol Today [Internet]. 2024 Apr. 25 [cited 2024 Dec. 21];3(1):18–22. Available from: https://canadianhematologytoday.com/article/view/3-1-Olszewski

Issue

Section

Articles