Clinical characteristics and treatment outcome of paediatric non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan

Objective: To highlight the clinical characteristics of paediatric patients presenting with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, treatment toxicities, and outcome. Method: The retrospective study was conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, and comprised data of all paediatric patients aged 0-18 years diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma from 2010 to 2020. Demographic characteristics, presentation, treatment provided, complications, if any, and treatment outcome were recorded. Data was analysed using SPSS 21. Results: Of the 92 patients, 69(75.0%) were males. The overall mean age was 14.35±5.80 years. The most common presenting complaint was pyrexia 42(45.7%), the most common diagnosis was Burkitt lymphoma 40(43.5%), the most common complication related to gastrointestinal issues 8(15.7%), and most toxicities were reported with the use of FAB-LMB96 (French American-British Mature B-Cell Lymphoma 96) for B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma 23(45.1%). Mortality was the outcome in 17(18.5%) cases, while 19(20.7%) patients were lost to follow-up. PFS and OS was 60.4%, and OS 81.3% respectively at 10 years follow-up, median PFS was 17.5 months ([IQR]: 4.5-43.5 months) (p=0.011) and median OS was 33.5 months (IQR: 19.5-84 months) (p=0.007). Conclusion: Early recognition of symptoms, specialist care, and proper planning can decrease treatment-related complications that result in abandonment.