REVIEW

Burkitt’s lymphoma: new insights into molecular pathogenesis

C Bellan¹, S Lazzi¹, G De Falco¹, A Nyongo², A Giordano³, L Leoncini¹

¹ Institute of Pathological Anatomy and Histology, University of Siena, Via delle Scotte, 6, 53100 Siena, Italy
² Department of Pathology, Nairobi Hospital, Kenya
³ Sbarro Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Professor L Leoncini, Institute of Pathological Anatomy and Histology, University of Siena, Nuovo Policlinico ‘Le Scotte’, Via delle Scotte, 6, 53100 Siena, Italy;
leoncinil{at}unisi.it

The World Health Organisation classification reports three subcategories of Burkitt’s lymphoma (BL)—endemic, non-endemic, and immunodeficiency associated—proposed to reflect the major clinical and genetic subtypes of this disease. These different types of BL have been reviewed and studied by immunohistochemistry and molecular methods. The results point out the heterogeneity of BL and suggest that AIDS related BL may have a different pathogenesis from that of classic BL.

Keywords: Burkitt’s lymphoma; cell cycle; human immunodeficiency virus

Abbreviations: BL, Burkitt’s lymphoma; DLBCL, diffuse large B cell lymphoma; EBV, Epstein-Barr virus; HIV, human immunodeficiency virus; Rb, retinoblastoma; WHO, World Health Organisation

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