[Clinicopathological characteristics of Burkitt lymphoma]

In the new WHO classification, the category of Burkitt lymphoma includes classic Burkitt lymphoma and a variant-Burkitt-like-lymphoma. In addition, three subcategories--endemic, non-endemic, and immunodeficiency-associated--were proposed to reflect the major clinical and genetic subtypes of this disease. Endemic Burkitt lymphoma is well known to carry EB virus(EBV). However, not more than 20% of the sporadic Burkitt lymphoma carry EBV. One of the three alternative forms of the Ig/myc translocation are regularly present in all Burkitt lymphomas, whether EBV positive or negative. Thus, translocation, rather than EBV, must be considered as the main rate-limiting event in the development of Burkitt lymphoma. EBV may increase the probability of this event by expanding the target cell population at risk.