Burkitt lymphoma

What it is

Burkitt lymphoma is one of the aggressive B cell lymphomas, named there with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and mantle cell lymphoma. Its translocation is t(8;14) MYC-IGH, and it is the c-myc translocation, or MYC rearrangement, that names it. The cells are medium size lymphocytes, the mitotic index is high, and it is one of the most rapidly growing malignancies, with a very fast doubling time.

Hold the translocations apart: follicular lymphoma is t(14;18) BCL2-IGH, mantle cell lymphoma is t(11;14) IGH-CCND1, and DLBCL is t(3;14) IGH-BCL6. Burkitt lymphoma with t(8;18) BCL2-MYC is the incorrect combination among them.

Causes and risk

EBV infection is associated with it. Two forms are named by where they sit:

• The African, or endemic, form typically involves the jaw, so a jaw mass is the African type
• The sporadic form typically affects children and involves the pelvis or abdomen