Burkitt lymphoma

Burkitt lymphoma (BL) is not an inherited condition. It almost always occurs in people with no family history of BL. To our knowledge, there has been one report (in 1986) describing BL in more than one family member (two sisters). However, this occurrence was thought to be due to an inherited lymphocyte disorder that may have predisposed the sisters to developing BL.

While BL is associated with genetic changes involving the MYC gene and immunoglobulin genes (genes that provide instructions for antibodies), these genetic changes are acquired (not inherited), and are limited to the cancer cells. They are not passed on to offspring.

Without timely treatment, BL is rapidly fatal. However, the majority of people treated with aggressive therapy achieve long-term remission.

In general, children with BL have better survival rates than adults with BL. The prognosis in children correlates with the extent of disease at the time of diagnosis. Those with limited disease when diagnosed and treated have a survival rate greater than 90%. Children with more extensive disease, especially involving the bone marrow and central nervous system, have long- term survival rates of 50-90%.

While the majority of adults with BL also achieve long-term remission with aggressive therapy, adults (particularly those with advanced stage disease) do more poorly than children. In addition to the extent of disease at the time of diagnosis, prognosis depends on the age of the adult. In general, survival rates decrease with age and are lowest for elderly patients. Unfortunately, specific statistics regarding the prognosis for adults with BL appear to be more scarce.

The outlook is poor for both children and adults if BL returns after improvement (relapses) or does not go into remission as a result of the first cycle of chemotherapy.

Additional information about the chance to have relapsing BL is available here.