Intensive chemotherapy failure in Burkitt's lymphoma with cavernous sinus involvement.
Burkitt's lymphoma is an aggressive B-cell lymphoma with rapid proliferative index, which makes it disseminate easily to distal sites, especially to bone marrow and the central nerve system. We report here a 22-year-old woman with Burkitt's lymphoma involving multiple organs, including kidneys, breasts, left ovary, and bone marrow at the time of diagnosis. The patient responded well to intensive chemotherapy before the onset of retro-orbital pain, vomiting, and photophobia. The contrast-enhanced T1-weighted image in a second magnetic resonance image (MRI) showed a 2 x 1.9 cm mass in her left cavernous sinus that was not found in her initial MRI. Central nervous system (CNS)-directed high-dose chemotherapy and whole-brain radiation could not change the final failed treatment outcome caused by the cavernous sinus involvement disseminating to her entire CNS. Further study should provide well-designed therapeutic strategies to Burkitt's patients with cavernous sinus involvement.
Department of Medical Oncology, Cancer Hospital, Fudan University, 270 Dong An Road, 200032 Shanghai, China.
Zhi-Yu
ZY
Chen
Bin
B
Wu
Ji-Liang
JL
Yin
D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002051:Burkitt Lymphoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D002426:Cavernous Sinus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology*; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017211:Treatment Failure; D055815:Young Adult