Gender and age-related differences in Burkitt lymphoma – epidemiological and clinical data from The Netherlands

• Published in: European journal of cancer (1990) Vol. 40; no. 18; pp. 2781 - 2787
• Main Authors: Boerma, E.G., van Imhoff, G.W., Appel, I.M., Veeger, N.J.G.M., Kluin, Ph.M., Kluin-Nelemans, J.C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01-12-2004; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Age Distribution; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Biological and medical sciences; Burkitt lymphoma; Burkitt Lymphoma - epidemiology; Chi-Square Distribution; Child; Clinical presentation; Cohort Studies; Epidemiology; Extranodal; Female; Gender; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Multivariate Analysis; Netherlands - epidemiology; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Registries; Sex Distribution; Tumors; Netherlands; Europe; Clinical presentation; Burkitt lymphoma; Extranodal; Adult; Gender; Child; Epidemiology; Human; Lymph node; Sex; Malignant hemopathy; Pharmacology; Non Hodgkin lymphoma; Infection; Cancerology; Lymphoproliferative syndrome; Viral disease; Age
• ISSN: 0959-8049; 1879-0852
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ejca.2004.09.004

Although Burkitt’s lymphoma (BL) is classified as one entity in the World Health Organisation (WHO) classification, we wondered whether BL should not be considered as a different disease in children compared with adults. Netherlands Cancer Registry (NCR) data were obtained from 1994 to 1998 (
n
=
203). Detailed clinical data from two treatment protocols were compared: one for adults up to the age of 65 years (
n
=
27) and one for children (
n
=
80). All slides of the two clinical studies were centrally reviewed which included immunophenotyping and when necessary breakpoint analysis of
MYC/8q24. Only cases with an unambiguous diagnosis of BL (classical and atypical BL) were accepted. The age distribution of BL-patients showed a bimodal distribution with a peak at the paediatric age and a steady increase after approximately 60 years of age. Most of the patients were males (89% for children and 78% for adults) and only male patients showed this bimodality. Children more often had extranodal disease (81%
vs. 59%), whereas adults more often had nodal disease (89%
vs. 53%). Based on epidemiology and clinical presentation, the concept that BL is one disease should be re-challenged.