Burkitt's Lymphoma in Saudi Arabia: Clinical, Pathological, and Epidemiological Analyses of 16 Cases

Abstract

Burkitt's lymphoma, resembling the African variety, occurred in 16 Saudi Arabian children seen at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre over a period of five years. The age range was from 3 to 12 years and the median age was 4.5 years. Weight loss, anorexia, abdominal pain, and chewing difficulty were the most frequent presenting complaints. The abdominal viscera and the facial bones were the commonest sites of initial involvement. Renal parenchymal infiltration with subsequent acute renal failure was a prominent feature in these patients. The majority of patients came from the Southern and Southwestern parts of Saudi Arabia and their disease occurred during the rainy season. These findings, contrary to previously published reports, indicate Burkitt's lymphoma does exist in Saudi Arabia and that it exhibits space-time clustering as was originally observed in some parts of Africa.

Childhood Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma in Saudi Arabia: Clinical Features of 100 Cases

“…While BL occurred primarily in the coastal area of the Red Sea, other types of lymphoma occurred in all parts of the Kingdom. 7 The approximate dates of the onset of the illness reported by the parents are shown in Figure 3. While all types of NHL showed seasonal variation with more cases occurring during the period from December to April, this timeclustering was more evident with BL.…”

Childhood Cancer In Saudi Arabia: Current problems and suggested solutions

“…4 The Burkitt's type shows definite space-time clustering while the non-Burkitt's type shows more uniform distribution. 4,5 What is it in Abha, Jizan, and Najran that makes children there more likely to develop Burkitt's lymphoma? And, why does the disease occur mainly during the rainy seasons in those areas?…”

Cancer in Saudi Arabia

“…Sixteen cases had Burkitt's lymphoma; nine of these were referred from the Southern Province where malaria is common. 10 Lymphomas may be the most frequent type of malignancy encountered, not only in Saudi Arabia but also in other Middle Eastern countries. They comprise 17.5% of all malignant diseases in Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon, 3 15.7% in Egypt, 11 and 14% in South Yemen (formerly Aden).…”