Burkitt lymphoma

Alternative names:

B-cell lymphoma

Definition:

A lymph gland tumor classified as a non-Hodgkin lymphoma; it was first described among African children but has now been described with increasing frequency in American children.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

African Burkitt lymphoma is closely associated with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), the primary cause of infectious mononucleosis. The American form of Burkitt lymphoma is less closely associated with EBV. Both types of tumor are derived from a line of immunologic cells called B lymphocytes.

Burkitt lymphoma may first be noticed as a swelling of the lymph nodes in the neck or below the jaw, which is not associated with any prior infection. These are often painless. Unlike post-infectious nodes, these lymph nodes grow very rapidly. The disease may begin in other locations.

Recently, chromosome abnormalities have been recognized in tumor cells. One of these consists of a translocated gene (a gene that appears on a chromosome other than where it is expected); in this case, a gene that is normally from chromosome 8 is found on chromosome 14.