BURKITT LYMPHOMA

Course overview

BURKITT LYMPHOMA (BL) IS AN AGGRESSIVE NON-HODGKIN B-CELL LYMPHOMA. THE DISEASE IS ASSOCIATED WITH EPSTEIN BARR VIRUS (EBV), HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS (HIV), AND CHROMOSOMAL TRANSLOCATIONS THAT CAUSE THE OVEREXPRESSION OF ONCOGENE C-MYC. THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO) CLASSIFIES BL INTO THREE CLINICAL GROUPS: ENDEMIC, SPORADIC AND IMMUNODEFICIENCY-RELATED. THE ENDEMIC FORM IS LINKED TO MALARIA AND EBV. THE IMMUNODEFICIENCY-RELATED VARIANT IS ASSOCIATED WITH HIV AND TO A LESSER EXTENT, ORGAN TRANSPLANTATION. WITH INTENSE CHEMOTHERAPY TREATMENT DISEASE PROGNOSIS IS EXCELLENT IN CHILDREN BUT POOR IN ADULTS. THIS ACTIVITY ILLUSTRATES THE EVALUATION AND MANAGEMENT OF BURKITT LYMPHOMA AND REVIEWS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN TREATING PATIENTS WITH THIS CONDITION.