Treatment of Burkitt's lymphoma in HIV-positive patients.

Many Burkitt's-type non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL) in patients without HIV infection are curable with current brief high-dose combination chemotherapy regimens. Burkitt's-type lymphomas (BL) comprise 30-40% of HIV-associated NHL. Their morphologic, clinical, cytogenetic and molecular genetic characteristics are similar to those of sporadic BL unassociated with HIV infection. They often occur in less immunosuppressed HIV-infected individuals than the other types of NHL. Most patients with HIV-associated NHL benefit as much from low-dose as from standard or high-dose chemotherapy with less toxicity. However, there may be a subpopulation of HIV-infected patients with Burkitt's-type NHL and well preserved immune status who may benefit from high-dose chemotherapy programs that are effective for BL patients without HIV infection.