Long-term remission of children with relapsed and secondary anaplastic large cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (ALCL) following treatment with pulsed dexamethasone and low dose etoposide

Anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) accounts for approximately 15% of childhood NHL. Relapsed ALCL represents a formidable challenge because outcome is poor despite the use of high-dose chemotherapy regimens. We report two patients with relapsed T-type and 0-type ALCL who achieved long-term 3rd and 4th remissions with 4-weekly oral dexamethasone (DEX) and etoposide pulses for 2 years. This regimen also induced and maintained remission in a third patient with Nijmegen breakage syndrome (NBS) with secondary T-type ALCL. These patients demonstrate that low-intensity oral chemotherapy can induce long-term remissions and offer a curative perspective in refractory, relapsed and secondary ALCL.