Burkitt lymphoma of the jaws in the Amazon region of Brazil

Abstract

Objectives: To describe the clinicopathologic and immunohistochemical features of Burkitt’s lymphoma of the jaws in 7 patients of Northern Brazil. Study Design: Clinical data concerning gender, age, affected site, clinical presentation, symptomatology and follow-up were collected from the clinical files. Histopathology was complemented with a broad immunohistochemical panel and in situ hybridization for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Results: Most of the patients were infants and 5 out of 7 were males. The mandible was affected in 5 cases and all patients also presented abdominal involvement. All cases were positive for CD45, CD20, CD79a, CD10, Bcl-6 and EBV. Ki-67 proliferative index was approximately 100%. Six patients were treated with R-CHOP (Rituximab + Cyclophosphamide, Doxorubicin, Vincristine and Prednisolone) chemotherapy, and 2 of these died of the disease. One young adult patient refused treatment and died 3 months after initial diagnosis. Conclusions: Burkitt’s lymphoma of the jaws diagnosed in the Amazon region of Brazil present similar clinicopathologic features to those described in endemic areas of Africa, including EBV positivity. Key words:Burkitt’s lymphoma, EBV, Brazil, Amazon region.

Lymphotropic Viruses EBV, KSHV and HTLV in Latin America: Epidemiology and Associated Malignancies. A Literature-Based Study by the RIAL-CYTED

“…Socioeconomic improvement in Brazil turned into a decreased incidence from 87% to 46% in a 54 year period [ 32 ]. A similar picture emerges for EBV-positive BL, since this disease shows features of endemic BL in particularly underdeveloped regions, for instance, 76–100% in North Brazil [ 36 , 56 ], while it resembles more the sporadic form in the South of Brazil, Chile and Argentina [ 114 ]. Fewer driver mutations, especially among genes with roles in apoptosis, were demonstrated in EBV-positive BL from USA and Uganda, suggesting a specific BL phenotype, irrespective of geographic origin [ 494 ].…”

Burkitt lymphoma of the head and neck: An international collaborative study

“…6,8 Numerous studies in the literature have reported BL involving sites throughout the whole body; however, only a few reports focusing exclusively on BLHN have been described. 9,10 Thus, we conducted a retrospective analysis to investigate the clinicopathological features, immunophenotype, and EBV infection status of BLHN in patients from South Africa, Guatemala, and Brazil, in order to compare possible differences between regions. This study forms part of a special issue published by the Journal of Oral Pathology and Medicine covering the most important aspects of haematolymphoid lesions and neoplasms affecting the oral cavity and neighboring structures.…”

Survival predictors of Burkitt's lymphoma in children, adults and elderly in the United States during 2000–2013

“…9,19,20 Additionally, existing studies of BL have been limited by small sample sizes or only included subsets of ages, either adults or children. 10,21 …”

“…3,7,8 All three forms of BL are responsive to treatment in children provided they have access to effective treatment. 9,10 The use of brief intensive chemotherapy in adults is generally effective, however, BL is commonly misclassified as other forms of NHL especially diffuse large B cell lymphoma and hence may not be treated appropriately resulting in very poor prognosis. [11][12][13][14] Studies of BL have largely focused on African/endemic disease because it is more common, easier to diagnose, and has a disfiguring nature and unique characteristics as aforementioned.…”

“…9,19,20 Additionally, existing studies of BL have been limited by small sample sizes or only included subsets of ages, either adults or children. 10,21 Burkitt's Lymphoma has a tri-modal peak of occurrence in children, adults and elderly around the ages of 10, 40 and 70 years, respectively. 22,23 Some studies have suggested that the different peaks have differences in etiology or clinical characteristics/presentation.…”