Details
22 year-old male. Right axilla lymph node biopsy. Rapidly enlarging axillary lymphadenopathy with tenderness. No constitutional or B symptoms.
Burkitt lymphoma is a clinically aggressive form of non-Hodgkin B-cell lymphoma with an extremely rapid rate of growth, reflected by the presence of tingible body macrophages containing phagocytosed nuclear debris imparting a "starry sky pattern." Subtypes of Burkitt lymphoma include African endemic, sporadic and immunodeficiency-associated. The African endemic form usually occurs in children, generally involves the jaw, facial bones and orbit, and shows evidence of latent infection with Epstein Barr virus. Genetic rearrangements involving C-MYC, most commonly t(8;14), are typical. The tumor consists of medium-sized monomorphous lymphocytes with brisk mitotic activity and well-defined (squared off) cell borders. The immunophenotype of Burkitt lymphoma is analogous to that of germinal centers from which it originates: CD20+/CD10+/BCL6+/BCL2- with a Ki-67 proliferation rate of 100%.