Burkitt lymphoma
| Burkitt's lymphoma | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Burkitt's tumor, Burkitt lymphoma, malignant lymphoma Burkitt's type |
| Burkitt's lymphoma, touch prep, Wright stain | |
| Specialty | Haematology and oncology |
| Causes | Idiopathic; HIV; Epstein-Barr Virus; MYC gene translocation |
| Differential diagnosis | Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, high-grade B cell lymphoma, lymphoblastic leukemia, mantle cell lymphoma (blastoid variant) |
| Treatment | Chemotherapy |
Burkitt's lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system, particularly B lymphocytes found in the germinal center. It is named after Denis Parsons Burkitt, the Irish surgeon who first described the disease in 1958 while working in equatorial Africa. It is a highly aggressive form of cancer which often, but not always, manifests after a person develops acquired immunodeficiency from infection with Epstein-Barr Virus or Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).
The overall cure rate for Burkitt's lymphoma in developed countries is about 90%. Burkitt's lymphoma is uncommon in adults, in whom it has a worse prognosis.