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Acute Leukemia with "Burkitt's Lymphoma Cells" and Burkitt's Lymphoma
Simultaneous Onset in American Siblings; Description of a New Entity
- DAVID A. STEVENS, M.D.;
- GREGORY T. O'CONOR, M.D.;
- PAUL H. LEVINE, M.D.; and
- ROBERT B. ROSEN, M.D.
Abstract
Hematologic neoplasms developed simultaneously in two American siblings. One patient succumbed to a malignant lymphoma, undifferentiated, Burkitt's type, a rare tumor in the United States. His sister developed acute leukemia with cells identical to those seen in Burkitt's lymphoma, a presentation that has not been previously described. We suggest that this latter entity be called acute leukemia, undifferentiated, Burkitt's type. The cytological features of these diseases are described and illustrated. Epidemiological patterns of Burkitt's lymphoma in Africa suggest an infectious cause. The simultaneous occurrence of histologically identical tumors in these siblings is consistent with an infectious cause, with a fixed or short incubation period, possibly superimposed on a genetic susceptibility. The family history is unremarkable, as were the results of several serological tests of the patients' serums against Epstein-Barr virus, a potential causative agent in Burkitt's lymphoma.
Article and Author Information
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▸From the Department of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles Medical Center, Los Angeles; and the Department of Pediatrics, City of Hope Medical Center, Duarte; Calif.; and National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md.
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▸Requests for reprints should be addressed to D. A. Stevens, M.D., Division of Infectious Diseases, Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, Calif. 94305.
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- Received November 15, 1971.
- Accepted February 28, 1972.
