T. Tousseyn MD, PhD

BHS Guidelines for the treatment of Burkitt’s lymphoma

Summary

Burkitt’s lymphoma is a rare but very aggressive non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma characterised by an isolated translocation t(8;14)(q24;q32). The sporadic form is the sub-entity most frequently encountered in Belgium. Diagnosis and initial work-up must be completed rapidly to start treatment as soon as possible. Positron emission tomography scan is useful for initial staging and to evaluate the chemosensitivity of the tumour during and after treatment. After debulking, it is recommended to add rituximab to chemotherapy. Currently intensive short-cycle and low intensity chemotherapies are two valuable options. Radiotherapy is not indicated except in case of central nervous system involvement. Patients achieving complete remission must be followed carefully during the first year to detect recurrence of the disease. More than 80% of patients sustain their remission one year following initial treatment and are considered cured. For patients in partial remission or with chemosensitive relapse, autologous stem cell transplantation is recommended following re-induction with non-cross-resistant polychemotherapy. Monitoring complete blood counts and cognitive functions is important to detect late toxicity of the applied therapies.

(BELG J HEMATOL 2015;6(2):61–9)

O.2 Analysis of Phenotype and Outcome in Essential Thrombocythemia with CALR and JAK2 mutations

O.6 Non-invasive Detection of Genomic Imbalances in Hodgkin/Reed-Sternberg Cells in Early and Advanced Stage Hodgkin Lymphoma by Sequencing of Circulating Cell-free DNA

P1.20 Intravascular lymphoma: A retrospective monocentric observational analysis and review of literature

P1.22 Characteristics, treatment and prognosis of primary central nervous system lymphoma: a single center retrospective study

P.21 Coincidence of renal cell carcinoma and post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder following kidney transplantation

T-cell/histiocyte-rich large B-cell lymphoma: review on pathologic diagnosis, current therapeutic options and new targets for therapy

Summary

T-cell/histiocyte rich large B-cell lymphoma (THRLBCL) is a rare variant of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) with an aggressive behaviour. Clinically, THRLBCL affects a young, predominantly male population. Pathologically, it is characterised by fewer than 10% of large neoplastic B-cells in a background of abundant T-cells with or without the presence of histiocytes. Differentiating THRLBCL from other lymphoproliferative disorders can be difficult but is achieved by morphologic and immunohistochemical characterisation of the tumour cells in the appropriate stromal microenvironment. Despite these clinical and pathologic differences, treating THRLBCL is not different from treating stage-matched DLBCL and can result in a comparable outcome. Comparative studies, however, on outcome of THRLBCL and DLBCL are methodologically weak and include small numbers of patients. Recently, gene expression profiling showed a predominant role for a distinct host immune response in THRLBCL, leading to tumor tolerance. Targeting specific molecules responsible for this tumour tolerance could lead to novel therapeutic options.

(BELG J HEMATOL 2012;3: 128–133)