Adolescent non‐Hodgkin lymphoma and Hodgkin lymphoma: state of the science

Abstract

SummaryLymphoma is the most common malignancy among adolescents, accounting for >25% of newly diagnosed cancers in the 15-19 year age group. Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) accounts for the majority (two-thirds) of cases, while the remainder of patients have one of four subtypes of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL): diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) including primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma (PMBL), Burkitt lymphoma (BL), lymphoblastic lymphoma (LL) or anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL). Epidemiology, histology, treatment and outcome differ between HL and NHL, as well as among the various subtypes of NHL. Adolescent lymphoma is particularly interesting because it often shares features with both childhood and adult lymphoma. As medical oncologists and paediatric oncologists often follow divergent treatment plans, disagreements may arise between practitioners as to how best treat the adolescent group. Additional complicating factors associated with the adolescent years, such as lack of insurance, issues pertaining to body image, and concerns about fertility, can also hinder prompt, appropriate medical management. This review details the complexities associated with the diagnosis and treatment of adolescent lymphoma and updates the state of the science, with particular emphasis on epidemiology, diagnosis, and proper management of HL and the various subtypes of NHL.

Evaluation of the Histo-Epidemiological Profile of Solid Childhood Cancers in Togo

“…Our results are comparable to those of Peko et al in Congo who reported a rate of 20% of retinoblastoma and 9.2% of Nephroblastoma (Peko et al, 2004). Nephroblastoma is a fairly common tumor in children in Africa, affects both sexes almost equally, and can be associated with various renal such as nephroblastomatosis or extrarenal malformations including urogenital malformations and Wiedeman syndrome -Beckwith (Hochberg et al, 2009). Retinoblastoma usually appears in children before the age of five years who had two alleles of the RB1 gene disease transmitted as on an autosomal dominant mode, and half of retinoblastoma is diagnosed before the age of two years (Packer et al, 2010).…”

Results of AIEOP LNH‐97 protocol for the treatment of anaplastic large cell lymphoma of childhood

“…Anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) represents approximately 15% of all pediatric non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL) [1]. First described by Stein et al [2], ALCL is characterized by proliferation of anaplastic cells of T or null phenotype with CD30 antigen expression.…”

“…1 alone [21] to intensified therapy with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) [17,[22][23][24][25], resulting in high overall survival (OS) rate. Here, we report the characteristics and longterm outcome of ALCL patients treated in the Italian Association of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology (AIEOP) centers using AIEOP LNH-97 protocol.…”

Burkitt lymphoma in adults

“…This is less of an issue in BL, however as similar regimens are used for all patients but the elderly. It is worth noting however that adolescents generally fare only marginally worse than children treated on the same protocols (Burkhardt et al, 2011) and in the French-AmericanBritish (FAB)/LMB 96 trial the excess failure in adolescents compared to children could be accounted for by the distribution of stage and sites of disease (Hochberg et al, 2009). This trial clearly demonstrated that reductions in therapy were possible without detriment to good risk patients and this can be reasonably extrapolated to the adolescent population.…”