title: Outcome of children and adolescents with lymphoblastic lymphoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  lymphoblastic lymphoma (LBL) is the second most common subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in children. The aim of this study was to characterize the clinical course of children and adolescents with LBL treated at a tertiary center.
  
  
  METHODS
  this is a retrospective cohort study of 27 patients aged 16 years or younger with LBL admitted between January 1981 and December 2013. Patients were treated according to the therapy protocol used for acute lymphoblastic leucemia. Diagnosis was based on biopsy of tumor and/or cytological examination of pleural effusions. The overall survival was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  the median age at diagnosis was 11.6 years (interquartile range, 4.6- 13.8). LBL had T-cell origin in 16 patients (59%). The most common primary manifestation in T-cell LBL was mediastinal involvement, in 9 patients (56%). Intra-abdominal tumor was the major site of involvement in patients with precursor B-LBL. Most patients had advanced disease (18 patients - 67%) at diagnosis. Twenty-four patients (89%) achieved complete clinical remission. After a median follow-up of 43 months (interquartile range, 6.4-95), 22 patients (81%) were alive in first complete remission. Five children (18.5%) died, three of them soon after admission and two after relapsing. The probability of survival at five years for 20 patients with de novo LBL was 78% (SD 9.4).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  our findings confirm the favorable prognosis of children with LBL with an intensive chemotherapy regimen derived from ALL therapy.
authors.affiliation: Hematology Division, Pediatrics Department, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maria Christina Lopes Araújo
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Pediatrics Department, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Keyla Christy
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Sampaio
authors.affiliation: Hospital das Clínicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Aline Carneiro
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Hospital das Clínicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Aieska Dantas
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Pathology Department, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Lúcia Porto
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Castro
authors.affiliation: Pediatrics Department, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcos Borato
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Viana
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality; D054218:Precursor T-Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers; D016896:Treatment Outcome