Burkitt's lymphoma of the scapula

Burkitt's lymphoma may involve the maxilla or mandible, but to date, there has been no reference in the literature to scapular involvement by this tumor. This article describes the case of a 9-year-old child who presented with a huge tumor involving the right shoulder with osteolytic and sclerotic lesions in the scapula. The histopathological findings were suggestive of Burkitt's lymphoma, and the immunohistochemical findings discard a lymphoblastic lymphoma or plasmablastic lymphoma. In addition, in situ hybridization for Epstein-Barr virus encoded small nuclear RNA (EBER) was positive. Although the child also presented a cervical lymphadenopathy, the fact that Burkitt's lymphoma is generally extranodal, the marked swelling of the shoulder, and the extensive involvement of the bone strongly argue that this tumor had its origin in the scapula. This case demonstrates the importance of including Burkitt's lymphoma in the differential diagnosis of lymphoma involving bones in children.