Abstract
BackgroundBurkitt lymphoma (BL) is a relatively common cancer of childhood in tropical Africa, although its precise incidence and continent-wide geographic distribution have not been previously systematically studied.MethodsUsing the methods employed to produce national estimates of cancer incidence for the “Globocan” series of the International Agency for Research on Cancer, along with detailed information on cancer incidence by histological subtype from cancer registries in Africa, we estimate the numbers and rates of incidence by sex, age group, country and region of Africa.ResultsWe estimate that the number of new cases that occurred in 2018 to be about 3900, two thirds in males, and 81% in children aged 0–14. On a national basis, the geographic distribution of incidence rates among children in sub-Saharan Africa resembles that of the prevalence of infection with Falciparum malaria. An estimated 81% of cases are associated with infection with Epstein Barr virus (EBV).ConclusionsBL comprises almost 50% of childhood of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in Africa, almost all of which are associated with EBV, with the geographic distribution – at least in sub Saharan Africa - mediated by infection with malaria.
Highlights
Burkitt lymphoma (BL) is a relatively common cancer of childhood in tropical Africa, its precise incidence and continent-wide geographic distribution have not been previously systematically studied
Burkitt lymphoma (BL), an aggressive B cell lymphoma first recognized as a tumour of African children, occurs throughout the world, but has a markedly different incidence in different world regions, and even within regions [1]
Since the subtypes of non-Hodgkin lymphoma are not reported in Globocan, we used the original sources used in the estimations, to abstract information on BL
Summary
Burkitt lymphoma (BL) is a relatively common cancer of childhood in tropical Africa, its precise incidence and continent-wide geographic distribution have not been previously systematically studied. By far the highest incidence rates of BL are found in tropical African countries, where it may account for up to half of all childhood cancers [2], and the tumour in these regions is referred to as “endemic BL.”. Unlike endemic BL, sporadic and HIV-associated BL occur in all age groups. There are differences in clinical features and prognosis of the endemic, sporadic and HIV-associated BL [3, 4], the unifying characteristic in all patients with BL is the
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