Analysis of the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of multicenter childhood Burkitt leukemia

Burkitt lymphoma (BL) is a B-cell malignancy with a rapid doubling time, originating in follicular germinal centers. We aimed to explore the characteristics and prognosis of childhood Burkitt leukemia. A total of 124 children with Burkitt leukemia enrolled during the 6-year period of China Net Childhood Lymphoma- mature B-cell lymphoma 2017 regimen (CNCL-B-NHL-2017) were assessed. The median age at onset was 7 years (1-15 years), with a male-to-female ratio of 4.17:1. Of the total, 50.8% children were aged 5-10 years. Children with Burkitt leukemia were more likely to have tumor lysis syndrome, renal insufficiency, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) > 4 times, multiple organ involvement, and central nervous system infiltration at diagnosis, whereas those with large tumor mass were rare. Eleven children had pure Burkitt leukemia (8.9%), with no significant differences in relapse, progression, white blood cell counts at initial diagnosis, LDH levels, CNS infiltration, and rates of tumor lysis syndrome before treatment compared to those of children with tumor masses. (P > 0.05). The median follow-up time for the entire group was 32.85 months (0.4-70.7), with 3-year overall survival and event-free survival rates of 87.1% and 81.5%, respectively. Thirteen (10%) children progressed or relapsed during treatment, of which nine received chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, with only three fatalities. The analysis identified residual disease at midterm evaluation (P = 0.024) and LDH elevation ≥ 2000 U/L (P = 0.014) as independent prognostic factors affecting survival. The CNCL-B-NHL-2017 protocol demonstrated significant efficacy in treating children with Burkitt leukemia.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Annals of Hematology
Published
2025-11-03
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00277-025-06672-9
Primary Topic
Lymphoma Diagnosis and Treatment
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Analysis of the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of multicenter childhood Burkitt leukemia

Wen-Jun Pei, Yanlong Duan, Xige Wang, Xiaowen Zhai et al.
Annals of Hematology
Lymphoma Diagnosis and Treatment
article

Analysis of the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of multicenter childhood Burkitt leukemia

Wen-Jun Pei, Yanlong Duan, Xige Wang, Xiaowen Zhai, Kailan Chen, Ansheng Liu, Xiaojun Yuan, Xiaomei Yang, J. Wang, Fu Li, Yufeng Liu, Ying Liu, Yonghong Zhang, Sun Li-rong, Lihua Yang, Leping Zhang, Chun-ju Zhou, Zifen Gao, Wei Liu, Jian Jiang, Baoxi Zhang, Ling Jin, Yunpeng Dai, Lian Jiang, Mincui Zheng
article en

Abstract

Burkitt lymphoma (BL) is a B-cell malignancy with a rapid doubling time, originating in follicular germinal centers. We aimed to explore the characteristics and prognosis of childhood Burkitt leukemia. A total of 124 children with Burkitt leukemia enrolled during the 6-year period of China Net Childhood Lymphoma- mature B-cell lymphoma 2017 regimen (CNCL-B-NHL-2017) were assessed. The median age at onset was 7 years (1-15 years), with a male-to-female ratio of 4.17:1. Of the total, 50.8% children were aged 5-10 years. Children with Burkitt leukemia were more likely to have tumor lysis syndrome, renal insufficiency, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) > 4 times, multiple organ involvement, and central nervous system infiltration at diagnosis, whereas those with large tumor mass were rare. Eleven children had pure Burkitt leukemia (8.9%), with no significant differences in relapse, progression, white blood cell counts at initial diagnosis, LDH levels, CNS infiltration, and rates of tumor lysis syndrome before treatment compared to those of children with tumor masses. (P > 0.05). The median follow-up time for the entire group was 32.85 months (0.4-70.7), with 3-year overall survival and event-free survival rates of 87.1% and 81.5%, respectively. Thirteen (10%) children progressed or relapsed during treatment, of which nine received chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, with only three fatalities. The analysis identified residual disease at midterm evaluation (P = 0.024) and LDH elevation ≥ 2000 U/L (P = 0.014) as independent prognostic factors affecting survival. The CNCL-B-NHL-2017 protocol demonstrated significant efficacy in treating children with Burkitt leukemia.

Annals of HematologyVol. 104(11)
Qingdao University (CN), Hebei Medical University (CN), Shanghai Jiao Tong University (CN), Capital Medical University (CN), Peking University (CN), Beijing United Family Hospital (CN), XinHua Hospital (CN), Zhengzhou University (CN), Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University (CN), Zhengzhou Children's Hospital (CN), Shandong Provincial Hospital (CN), Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University (CN), Peking University People's Hospital (CN), Hunan Children's Hospital (CN), Xi’an Children’s Hospital (CN), Wuhan Children's Hospital (CN), Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University (CN), Beijing Children’s Hospital (CN), Anhui Provincial Children's Hospital (CN), First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University (CN), Children's Hospital of Fudan University (CN), Children's Hospital of Capital Institute of Pediatrics (CN), Qilu Hospital of Shandong University (CN), Jinan City People's Hospital (CN), Shandong First Medical University (CN), Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital (CN), Huazhong University of Science and Technology (CN), Southern Medical University (CN), BorgWarner (Brazil) (BR)
Openalex Percentile: Top 55%
Lymphoma Diagnosis and Treatment
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.