Burkitt lymphoma is a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma that affects the blood cells that help fight infections and other diseases. It starts in the lymph nodes and spreads to other parts of the body. Burkitt lymphoma can be cured with a combination of chemotherapy drugs and other treatments. No one knows what causes burkitt lymphoma, but it is linked to the Epstein-Barr virus. Scientists think changes in the DNA of this virus are responsible for burkitt lymphoma. They also know that the c-myc gene, which controls some aspects of cell growth, is altered in burkitt lymphoma.
The first step in diagnosis is a small operation to remove a sample of the affected tissue, usually from a swollen lymph node. This is done under local anaesthetic. A specialist lymphoma pathologist examines the sample under a microscope and does further tests to find out what type of lymphoma you have.
Depending on the results of these tests, your doctor will decide whether you have low-risk or high-risk disease. Your treatment will be based on your risk level, age, and where the lymphoma is in your body.
Your treatment for Burkitt lymphoma will be very intensive and may last a few months. You will probably be in hospital for most of this time. You will be given a combination of chemotherapy drugs and the antibody drug rituximab (Mabthera). This is called chemoimmunotherapy. This will be followed by a stem cell transplant, which uses your own or donor bone marrow to replace the damaged blood cells that make new cancerous cells.
You will need to visit your doctors for regular follow-up visits after treatment. This is to check for signs that the lymphoma has relapsed or returned. If the lymphoma comes back, your doctor will treat you with different chemotherapy drugs or a stem cell transplant.
The treatment for relapsed Burkitt lymphoma is similar to the treatments for the first time round. However, the chemotherapy drugs used are often different. Some people have a stem cell transplant using their own bone marrow (autologous transplant) or from another person (allogeneic transplant).
Your doctor will talk to you about the best way to plan your future after treatment for Burkitt lymphoma. You might want to consider a clinical trial for experimental therapies that haven’t been used in this type of lymphoma before. These trials may offer you better chances of a cure. You can get more information about clinical trials at the Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Stem Cell Transplant Center.
