ABSTRACT
Childhood non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, including Burkitt and Burkitt-like, are rarely diagnosed in infants. A case of B-cell lymphoma in a 13-month-old girl with extensive abdominal disease, ascites, pleural effusion, and tumor lysis syndrome is reported. Phenotypic analysis showed a germinal center B-cell phenotype, and a B-cell clonality was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction. There was no evidence of Epstein-Barr and HIV infection. The case herein reported emphasizes the need for considering the diagnosis of lymphoma even in very young children
Subject(s)
Humans , Female , Infant , Burkitt Lymphoma , Lymphoma, B-Cell , Burkitt Lymphoma , Epstein-Barr Virus Infections , Lymphoma, AIDS-Related , Lymphoma, B-Cell , Phenotype , Polymerase Chain ReactionABSTRACT
CONTEXT: Mutations or deletions in the tumor-suppressor gene p53 are among the commonest genetic changes found in human neoplasms including breast, lung and bowel cancers. In hematological malignancies, p53 is most often mutated in Burkitt's lymphoma, with p53 mutations present in 30 to 40 percent of tumor samples and in 70 percent of cell lines. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the p53 gene alterations in child patients with B non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. DESIGN: Descriptive study. SETTING: Tertiary oncology care center. PARTICIPANTS: The study investigated 12 patients with childhood B non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (Burkitt's lymphoma). Screening for p53 mutations was done by polymerase chain reaction - single strand conformational polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) analysis of exon 5 to 8/9 of the gene. RESULTS: Abnormal polymerase chain reaction - single strand conformational polymorphism migration pattern was observed in 4 patients (33.3 percent), one on exon 6 and three on exon 7. Positive cases included 2 patients who died from disease. CONCLUSION: These preliminary results suggest that p53 mutations are quite frequent in children with Burkitt's lymphoma and may play a role in lymphoma genesis or disease progression