Outcome and survival in children with Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma

Background Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is the third most common malignant tumor in children. It includes four major subtypes: Burkitt Lymphoma (BL), Lymphoblastic Lymphoma (LL), Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma (DLBL) and Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (ALCL). The use of multidrug chemotherapy, radiation therapy, biologic agents, and improved diagnostic and supportive care resulted in better cure rates. Objective This study is to report prognosis and outcome of Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) patients at tertiary health care facility in King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Jeddah (KFSHRC-J). Materials and Method A retrospective cross-sectional study of all eligible patients with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), admitted, diagnosed and managed at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Jeddah from Jan 2005 to December 2016, previously untreated, with biopsy proven NHL and Age ≤ 15 years at diagnosis. Clinical data Research Form used to collect patient’s data from medical records. Demographic, Clinical and Survival data analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Results Thirty-one pediatric patients with biopsy proven Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Twenty-six (80.6%) were males. Nineteen (61.3%) patients were ≤ 10 years of age at diagnosis, while 12 (38.7%) were>10 years of age. The mean age at diagnosis was 8.1years. The commonest primary site is abdomen (n=19, 61.3%), followed by Head & Neck (n=9, 28.1%), mediastinum (n=1, 3.1%), primary CNS (n=1, 3.1%), bone (n=1, 3.1%) and skin (n=1, 3.1%). Regarding histology 19 (61.3%) had Burkitt Lymphoma (BL), 6 (19.4%) had Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma (DLBL), 2(6.4%) had T-cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma, 2 (6.4%) had T-cell rich B Cell Lymphoma, 1 (3.1%) had B-cell Lymphoma not otherwise specified and 1 (3.1%) had Cutaneous Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (ALCL). Predominantly, patients presented in advanced stages III (n=18, 60%) and IV (n=10, 33%).Twenty-five (77.8%) patients completed treatment and are well to date while six of the patients (18.6%) died during the study period. Conclusion Children admitted to the (KFSHRC-J) appeared affected by non-Hodgkin Lymphoma at a younger age, with a higher incidence of Burkitt's Lymphoma. The predominant presenting site is abdomen followed by head/neck. They present mostly with advance disease. Survival rates are similar to those described in the literature of developed countries.