30 Years of Experience with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in Children and Adolescents: a retrospective cohort study

• Published in: Revista da Associação Médica Brasileira (1992) 2020-01, Vol.66 (1), p.25-30
• Main Authors: Oliveira, Maria Christina L., Sampaio, Keyla C., Brito, Andrea C., Campos, Marcia K., Murao, Mitiko, Gusmão, Rebeca, Fernandes, Ana Angélica L., Viana, Marcos B.
• Format: Magazinearticle
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0104-4230; 1806-9282
• DOI: 10.1590/1806-9282.66.1.25

SUMMARY OBJECTIVE Describe the clinical and demographic characteristics of pediatric patients with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) enrolled in a tertiary unit of Pediatric Hematology between 1982-2015. PATIENTS AND METHODS A retrospective cohort study of 140 patients aged 16 years or less with NHL. Demographic characteristics, data on diagnosis, and outcomes were analyzed. The overall survival (OS) analysis and stratification by the most frequent histological subtypes were performed using the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS One hundred and thirty-six patients with de novo NHL and four with NHL as a second malignancy were analyzed. The median age at diagnosis was 6.4 years (interquartile range, 4.2 to 11.1 years); 101 patients were males. Four patients had primary immunodeficiency, four had human immunodeficiency virus, two post-liver transplantation, and one had autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome. The most frequent histological type was NHL of mature B- cell (B-NHL-B; 67.1%), with Burkitt’s lymphoma being the most frequent subtype, and lymphoblastic lymphoma (LBL, 21.4%). The main clinical manifestation at the diagnosis was abdominal tumors (41.4%). During the follow-up time, 13 patients relapsed, but five of them reached a second remission. Thirty-five patients died, and 103 remained alive in clinical remission. No contact was possible for two patients. The OS at 5 years was 74.5% (± 3.8%). The OS estimated for patients with LBL, NHL-B, and the remaining was 80.4%±7.9%, 72.8%±4.7%, and 74.5%±11%, respectively (P = 0.58). CONCLUSION Our results are comparable with cohorts from other middle-income countries. RESUMO OBJETIVO Descrever as características clínicas e demográficas de pacientes pediátricos com linfoma não Hodgkin (LNH) em uma unidade terciária de Hematologia Pediátrica entre 1982-2015. PACIENTES E MÉTODOS Estudo de coorte retrospectivo de dados de prontuários de 140 pacientes com idade até 16 anos com LNH. Características demográficas e dados relativos ao diagnóstico e evolução foram analisados. A sobrevida global (SG) e estratificada pelos subtipos histológicos mais frequentes foi analisada pelo método de Kaplan-Meier. RESULTADOS Dados de 136 pacientes com LNH de novo e quatro com LNH como segunda neoplasia foram analisados. A mediana de idade ao diagnóstico foi 6,4 anos (intervalo interquartil: 4,2 a 11,1 anos); 101 pacientes eram meninos. Onze pacientes apresentavam imunodeficiência (quatro primária, quatro secundária ao vírus da imunodeficiênc