Central Nervous System Involvement of Epstein Barr Virus Associated Lymphoproliferative Disorder in a Child with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: Successful Treatment with Rituximab and Interferon-Alpha

• Published in: Turkish Journal of Hematology
• Main Authors: Berna Atabay, Meral Türker, Can Öztürk, Sümer Sütçüoğlu, Haldun Öniz, Esra Arun Özer
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Turkish Society of Hematology 2013-03-01
• Subjects: epstein-barr virus; lymphoproliferative disorder; rituximab; children; leukemia
• Online Access: https://jag.journalagent.com/z4/download_fulltext.asp?pdir=tjh&un=TJH-43926

Central nervous system (CNS) involvement of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated lymphoproliferative disease is a rare and serious complication in children with leukemia. Although rituximab therapy seems to be promising in these cases, persistent hypogammaglobulinemia may appear after treatment due to complete depletion of normal B lymphocytes in the peripheral blood. Here we report isolated CNS involvement of EBV-associated lymphoproliferative disorder in a 4-year-old boy with acute leukemia. The patient was treated with rituximab and interferon alpha; however, persistent hypogammaglobulinemia developed as a complication. Given the rarity of the complication in children receiving these agents, our experience with such a case may be helpful to others.