A case of clonally distinct relapse of Burkitt lymphoma 9 years after complete remission.

We report a case of HIV-negative Burkitt lymphoma (BL) that relapsed 9 years after complete remission. We performed a polymerase chain reaction analysis of three regions of the VDJ junction of the immunoglobulin heavy chain (IGH) gene and compared the clonality of the first and second BL lesions, which were found to be clonally distinct. The patient received the R-Hyper CVAD/R-MA regimen; however, leukoencephalopathy subsequently developed due to the effect of cytarabine, and the regimen was changed to R-IVAM. The patient achieved complete remission and received high-dose chemotherapy following autologous stem cell transplantation. He maintained the complete remission for 72 months after transplantation. Given this outcome, we suggest that clonally distinct relapse of HIV-negative BL may exhibit a good prognosis.