Key Points• Largest prospective trial for adult Burkitt lymphoma/ leukemia patients. • Substantial cure rates and high treatment-realization rates in all age groups.This largest prospective multicenter trial for adult patients with Burkitt lymphoma/ leukemia aimed to prove the efficacy and feasibility of short-intensive chemotherapy combined with the anti-CD20 antibody rituximab. From 2002 to 2011, 363 patients 16 to 85 years old were recruited in 98 centers. Treatment consisted of 6 5-day chemotherapy cycles with high-dose methotrexate, high-dose cytosine arabinoside, cyclophosphamide, etoposide, ifosphamide, corticosteroids, and triple intrathecal therapy. Patients >55 years old received a reduced regimen. Rituximab was given before each cycle and twice as maintenance, for a total of 8 doses. The rate of complete remission was 88% (319/363); overall survival (OS) at 5 years, 80%; and progression-free survival, 71%; with significant difference between adolescents, adults, and elderly patients (OS rate of 90%, 84%, and 62%, respectively). Full treatment could be applied in 86% of the patients. The most important prognostic factors were International Prognostic Index (IPI) score (0-2 vs 3-5; P 5 .0005), age-adjusted IPI score (0-1 vs 2-3; P 5 .0001), and gender (male vs female; P 5 .004). The high cure rate in this prospective trial with a substantial number of participating hospitals demonstrates the efficacy and feasibility of chemoimmunotherapy, even in elderly patients. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT00199082. (Blood. 2014;124(26):3870-3879)

We previously described a subset of MYC translocation-negative aggressive B-cell lymphomas resembling Burkitt lymphoma, characterized by proximal gains and distal losses in chromosome 11. In the 2016 WHO classification, these MYC-negative lymphomas were recognized as a new provisional entity, 'Burkitt-like lymphoma with 11q aberration'. Here we present an immunophenotype analysis of Burkitt-like lymphomas with 11q aberration. Cells were acquired by fine needle aspiration biopsy from 10 young adult patients, 80% of whom presented recurrence-free 5-year survival. Twenty-three MYC-positive Burkitt lymphomas, including three carrying both MYC rearrangement and 11q aberration, served as controls. By immunohistochemistry, all Burkitt-like lymphomas with 11q aberration were CD20+/CD10+/BCL6+/BCL2-/MUM1-/MYC+/EBV-, usually LMO2+/CD44-/CD43- and sometimes CD56+, and showed high proliferation rate. By flow cytometry, Burkitt-like lymphoma with 11q aberration immunophenotypically resembled MYC-positive Burkitt lymphoma, except for significantly (adjusted P<0.001) more frequent CD38 expression in Burkitt lymphoma (91% MYC-positive Burkitt lymphoma vs 10% Burkitt-like lymphoma with 11q aberration), more frequently diminished CD45 expression in Burkitt lymphoma (74% vs 10%), an exclusive CD16/CD56 and highly restricted CD8 expression in Burkitt-like lymphoma with 11q aberration (60% vs 0% and 40% vs 4%, respectively). We showed high diagnostic accuracy and effectiveness of flow cytometry in Burkitt lymphoma. CD16/CD56 expression without CD38 and the lack of CD16/CD56 with CD38 expression proves to be a reliable, fast, and cost-effective method for diagnosing 11q aberration and MYC rearrangements in CD10(+) aggressive lymphomas, respectively. In addition, we confirmed a pattern of an inverted duplication with telomeric loss of 11q, as a recurrent 11q abnormality, but one case presented alternative changes, possibly resulting in an equivalent molecular effect. Our findings reveal similarities along with subtle but essential differences in the immunophenotype of Burkitt-like lymphoma with 11q aberration and MYC-positive Burkitt lymphoma, important for the differential diagnosis, but also for understanding the pathogenesis of Burkitt-like lymphoma with 11q aberration.

Background: Burkitt lymphoma (BL) is characterized by a non-specific morphology and immunophenotype, a high proliferation rate, MYC rearrangements (MYC +), and by a simple karyotype. However, 5% of BL cases have no MYC rearrangements (MYC -) detectable by FISH. It is a matter of debate whether a true MYC (-) BL does exist.The WHO 2008 classification does not clearly define MYC (-) BL cases, and such cases are often misdiagnosed and treated as diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). We have previously described a provisional category of aggressive B-cell lymphoma unclassifiable (BCLU) with recurrent chromosome 11q aberrations, referred to as B-NHL(11q), with clinical, pathomorphological, and gene expression profile features typicalof BL,but MYC (-). B-NHLs(11q) carry proximal gains and telomeric losses of 11q. Karyotyping (CC) and FISH defined the gain region as dup(11)(q23q13) involving CCND1, ATM and KMT2A. As we have recently shown, BL and B-NHL(11q) express different levels of CD38 and CD16&CD56, and both have lower levels of miRNA-155, -21 and -26a than DLBCL. Here we describe a series of BL patients with a set of critical 11q aberrations and propose a diagnostic algorithm for a rapid work-up. Methods: Within a group of 82 BL cases diagnosed and treated with the BL protocol at our institution, we identified 15 cases of B-NHL(11q) with BL features and 11q aberrations: MYC (-) in 11(male/female 10/1, median age [range] 24 [18-62]) and MYC (+) in 4 cases (male/female 3/1, median age [range] 36.5 [20-82]). In MYC (-) pts, the disease was confined to a single site in 82%, was bulky (>7 cm) in 64% with diameter >20 cm in 45% of cases. BL, BCLU and DLBCL diagnosis according to WHO 2008 classification was based on histopathological/immunohistochemical examination (HP/IHC), CC, FISH, and clinical characteristics in all pts. For the final evaluation, the flow cytometry (FCM) immunophenotype, array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) data, and miRNA expression was assessed on samples obtained by the fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB). In the B-NHL(11q) cases we identified 11q duplication, dup(11q), with an inversion (inv) of the duplicated region and a deletion of its telomeric region, referred to as critical set of 11q aberrations, as opposed to non-critical aberration set that did not involve all three changes. B-NHL(11q) cells were evaluated with the panel of antibodies by IHC (CD20/CD10/BCL6/ BCL2/MUM1/MYC/Ki-67/CD43/CD44), and by FCM with CD (19, 20, 22, 23, 52, 79β, 81, 5, 25, 38, 43, 44, 45, 16&56, 56, 52, 62L, 71, 200), FMC7, HLADR, and BCL2. All B-NHL(11q) cases were evaluated by CC, FISH (MYC, BCL2, BCL6, CCND1, ATM, KMT2A and telomeric 11q) and aCGH. The relative positions of CCND1, ATM, and KMT2A within a duplicated region on the aberrant chromosome 11 were used to identify inversions. Results: A median follow-up of MYC (-) B-NHL(11q) pts treated with the BL regimen was 30 months, and 2-yr OS was 72% (95% CI: 45%, 99%). In 53% of B-NHL(11q) pts tingible body macrophages were less pronounced than in classic BL. All MYC (-) and MYC (+) B-NHLs(11q) cases presented the same phenotype and Ki-67 index of 100% and met the IHC criteria for BL. In MYC (-) and MYC (+) B-NHLs(11q) pts, all with a simple or less simple karyotype, we confirmed a critical or non-critical 11q aberrations in 10 and 5 pts, respectively. In 87% of pts we identified dup(11q), of two types: the larger part between 11q12.1 and 11q24.3 bands, and the smaller part between 11q22.3 and 11q24.1, with an additional multiplication of KMT2A inside the duplication region. In 13% of cases an inv without dup(11q) was detected. We found an inv of dup(11q) region in 73% of all cases, and no inv in dup(11q) in 2 MYC (+) cases only. Bulky tumors of >20 cm correlated with increased KMT2A copy number in B-NHLs(11q)cases. Conclusions: B-NHL(11q) cases are clinically homogenous while 11q aberrations are heterogeneous. We believe that BLs MYC (-) do exist. Combination of HP/IHC with FNAB/FCM/CC/FISH is a reliable method for credible diagnosis of BLMYC (-). BLMYC (-) should only be diagnosed in cases where critical 11q aberrations and a simple karyotype are identified. BCLU(11q) or DLBCL(11q) cases should be diagnosed if there are more complex karyotypes accompanied by 11q aberrations of any type. We hypothesize that in BLMYC (-) and other aggressive B-NHL(11q), 11q aberrations may determine clinical and pathomorphological features equivalent to those resulting from MYC rearrangements. Disclosures Walewski: Gilead: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: travel, accommodation; Seattle: Other: travel, accommodation; GSK/Novartis: Research Funding; Genetics: Other: travel, accommodation; Celgene: Honoraria, Other: travel, accommodation, Research Funding; Teva: Consultancy, Honoraria; Servier: Consultancy; Karyopharm: Consultancy; Boehringer Ingelheim: Consultancy; Ariad: Consultancy; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other; Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: travel, accommodation, Research Funding; Sanofi: Honoraria, Other: travel, accommodation; Mundipharma: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Janssen-Cilag: Consultancy.

(1) Background: T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma (T-LBL) is extremely rare and highly aggressive, with no practical risk model defined yet. The prognostic value of T-LBL immunological subtypes is still a matter of controversy. (2) Methods: We re-evaluated 49 subsequent adult T-LBL patients treated according to the German Multicenter Study Group for Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (GMALL) protocols, 05/93 (n = 20) and T-LBL 1/2004 (n = 29), 85.7% of which achieved complete remission (CR). (3) Results: The 5/10-year overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) were 62%/59% and 48%/43%, respectively. In 96% of patients, flow cytometry analyses defining the WHO 2008 immunophenotypes were available. Cortical, early/pro-T/CD2(−), early/pre-T/CD2(+), and mature subtypes were identified in 59.5%, 19%, 15%, and 6.5% of patients, respectively. Overall, 20% of patients had the early T-cell precursor (ETP)-LBL immunophenotype, as proposed by the WHO 2017 classification. For the early/pro-T/CD2(−) subtype, the five-year OS and EFS were 13% and 13%, while for all the other, non-pro-T subtypes, they were 69% and 67%. By multivariate analysis, only CD2(−) status and age > 35 years emerged as strong, independent factors influencing OS and EFS, while the risk of CR failure was influenced by age only (>35 years). (4) Conclusions: ETP was non-significant for OS, unless an ultra-high-risk pro-T/CD2(−) subtype was concerned.

No abstract