Burkitt lymphoma in Brazil is characterized by geographically distinct clinico-pathological features and lack of p53 mutations

Burkitt lymphoma (BL) is a highly aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma with a consistent MYC translocation. Epstein Barr virus (EBV) has been associated with BL at different frequencies depending on the clinical variant and geographic regions. This is a large-scale study of BL in Brazil, including 234 patients from five geographic regions that are widely disparate socioeonomically, including both the pediatric (61.1%) and adult (37.6%) populations. EBV was present in 52.5 percent of all BL cases, varying from 28.6 percent in the South to 76.4 percent in the North. Most of the cases were EBV type A. The frequency was higher in the pediatric group and EBV association within this age range predominated in all regions except the South. p53 protein expression was observed in 16.2 percent and only rare cases showed p63 expression. BL in Brazil is regionally distinct, has a low incidence of p53 over expression and a higher than expected association with EBV in sporadic cases.