| Distribution | Equatorial belt of Africa and Papua New Guinea | Worldwide | Worldwide |
| EBV association | 98% | 5−10% | 30−40% |
| Co-factors | EBV, malaria infection | – | HIV infection |
| Incidence | 5–10/100 000 | 0.01/100 000 | Variable |
| MYC breakpoint | Often >1 kb upstream from 1st coding exon | Exon 1/intron 1 of MYC gene | Exon 1/intron 1 of MYC gene |
| Ig breakpoint | Joining (J) region, switch (S)μ in some cases | Sμ, Sα or J region | Sμ region |
| Progenitor cell | GC, late GC or memory B cell | GC B cell | GC, late GC or memory B cell |
| Frequent site of occurrence | Most frequently jaw. Abdomen, kidneys and ovaries may also be involved | Most frequently abdomen. Kidneys, bone marrow and ovaries may also be involved | Lymph nodes, abdomen, bone marrow, CNS |