Burkitt's lymphoma outside the known endemic areas of Africa and New Guinea

Abstract

Burkitt's lymphoma (African lymphoma) was first thought to be limited to tropical and subtropical areas of Africa and New Guinea. The histological criteria described by Wright in 1963 and 1964 made it possible to distinguish the tumour from other forms of malignant lymphoma in children and led to the discovery of a number of undoubted cases of Burkitt's lymphoma in many countries. Retrospective surveys of histological sections have in fact brought to light 65 cases in territories outside tropical Africa. Prior to recognition of the disease as a separate entity, references to probable cases were made in 22 papers from the United States, France, India, and Vietnam. African lymphoma has actually been diagnosed in 23 cases in 10 countries outside Central Africa. The study of fresh imprint preparations, together with new techniques in tissue culture and electron microscopy, will in future render any prospective search for cases of this tumour simpler and more accurate than retrospective studies.

Abnormal T Cell Receptor Signal Transduction of CD4 Th Cells in X-Linked Lymphoproliferative Syndrome

“…Infection after early childhood frequently results in infectious mononucleosis (IM), 3 a systemic illness that is caused by the proliferation of EBV-infected B lymphocytes and unusually strong NK and virus-specific T lymphocyte responses (1). EBV has been shown to be associated with various diseases in humans (2)(3)(4). These include Burkitt's lymphoma, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, Hodgkin's Disease, and T cell lymphomas (5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13).…”

Signaling Activities of Gammaherpesvirus Membrane Proteins

“…Both HVS and EBV have also been shown to transform lymphoid cells and to induce lymphoproliferative diseases in the natural or experimental host. EBV has been shown to be associated with several diseases in humans (16,40,78). These include infectious mononucleosis (IM), Burkitt's lymphoma (BL), nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), Hodgkin's disease (HD), and T-cell lymphomas (1,11,65,83,84,95,96,108,116,141).…”

“…The mutated SAP protein in XLP patients affects T/B-cell interactions induced by SLAM, leading to an inability to control the B-cell proliferation caused by EBV infections (123,133). BL is a malignancy that principally affects children, especially those that live in regions of Africa with a high incidence of malaria (16). The tumor cells of these lymphomas are closely associated with EBV, with 100% of the lymphomas scoring positive for EBV.…”

Burkitt-like lymphoma in an English child: Characterisation of tumour biopsy cells and of the derived tumour cell line

“…However, sporadic cases of the disease indistinguishable from BL on histological grounds began to be reported from countries outside these endemic areas (Burkitt, 1967). In addition to the histological similarities, both endemic and sporadic cases of BL display the same characteristic chromosomal translocation involving the long arm of chromosome 8 and a region of chromosome 14 or 2 or 22 near the relevant immunoglobulin gene locus (Lenoir et al, 1982).…”