A disease called Burkitt's lymphoma is a type of non-Hodgkin's disease. The development of this pathology is due to B-lymphocytes. This disease has a very high level of malignancy. Having once hit a certain focus, the lymphoma does not stop, continuing to spread throughout the human body. We will tell you about the stages of this disease, as well as about the symptoms of its manifestation, diagnosis and treatment in our article.
Epidemiology of the disease
Burkitt's lymphoma can affect the area of the bone marrow, destroying the blood and operating in the cerebrospinal fluid, that is, in the cerebrospinal fluid. If this disease is not treated, then the tumor can grow very quickly throughout the body, resulting in a fatal outcome. The Epstein-Barr virus is the direct cause of this merciless disease for humans.
Different age groups for this disease
Ref.epidemiology, it is worth saying that the symptoms of Burkitt's lymphoma (pictured) are determined in patients in various age groups. But the greatest prevalence of this disease is observed in children and young people, especially among men. Very often this disease develops in people with AIDS. This disease is common in Central Africa and is common among the population of the United States of America. As for Russia, it is extremely rare in our country.
A person with Burkitt's lymphoma cannot pass the disease on to others. But it is important to note that this virus can be transmitted in a certain amount through saliva, but will not be able to cause independent infectious processes.
Description of pathology
Burkitt's lymphoma is an extremely malignant pathology that develops from B-lymphocytes. This disease is not localized exclusively in the lymphatic system, quickly starting to spread through tissues and organs. It can penetrate into the blood, and in addition, into the bone marrow. Its etiology has not yet been fully elucidated. As a rule, experts consider the general factors that are characteristic of neoplastic diseases, because almost always the development of lymphomas is associated with the direct action of the virus and tumor growth. Doctors can find Burkitt's lymphoma in various organs, for example, in the adrenal glands, in the jaw, pancreas, intestines, stomach, and so on. In most cases, this virus has no effect onperipheral lymph nodes, the causes of which are also unknown.
Distinguishing disease from lymphosarcoma
Often, experts note the presence of immature lymphoid cells in the neoplasm with distribution in the chromatin nucleus, so that the doctor can easily distinguish this pathology from lymphosarcoma. At the same time, vacuolized histiocytes can be detected during histological examination. In addition, patients have an increased amount of lipids in the cytoplasm of lymphoid cells. As part of the microscopy, it is possible to identify protrusions of the cytoplasm with viral particles.
The peculiarity of this disease is that it does not have a specific connection to a particular age category of a person, and most often, as already noted, Burkitt's lymphoma is diagnosed in children and adolescents. Often, such a disease begins to manifest itself in those who have been diagnosed with AIDS. This disease, unlike other similar ailments, often becomes the main cause of infectious mononucleosis in humans.
Next, we will find out exactly how this disease proceeds and what are its main stages.
Stages of the disease
There are only four stages of Burkitt's lymphoma, which depend on the degree of its prevalence in the body:
- First stage lymphoma affects one area of the lymph nodes.
- In the second stage, one or several areas of the lymph nodes located on one side of the diaphragm can be affected.
- On the thirdstages affect the lymph nodes located on both sides of the diaphragm.
- Burkitt's lymphoma stage 4 involves internal organs in the tumor process.
The first two stages of pathology, characterized by lesions of peripheral lymph nodes, are considered local, and the latter are called common. Now let's look directly at the causes of this disease.
Causes of disease
Science does not yet know the exact causes associated with the rebirth of cells. As already noted, the disease occurs due to the Epstein-Barr virus, which is an absolute fact. But not all people who are carriers of this virus develop such a disease. It often happens that Burkitt's lymphoma is detected in children and adults who have had mononucleosis. Infectious mononucleosis is similar to lymphoma. Both diseases proceed similarly, but lymphoma is more difficult to treat than mononucleosis.
Weakened hereditary immunity
Scientists have concluded that the virus of the fourth degree affects precisely those patients who have weakened hereditary immunity. Such people are more susceptible to malignant processes occurring in the lymphatic system than others. In addition, scientists suggest that there are the following factors due to which this disease may occur:
- Irradiation of a patient using ionizing radiation in the treatment of other oncological diseases.
- Human living in places with poorenvironment, as well as near areas associated with the chemical industry.
- Regular contact with carcinogens at work.
Symptoms of pathology
Lymphoma cells in a significant amount can accumulate in the lymph nodes, and in addition, in the abdominal organs. As a result, they increase. In the case of penetration of cells into the small intestine, its obstruction occurs and bleeding is caused. Sometimes pathology, affecting the peripheral lymph nodes, can lead to swelling of the jaw and neck, causing extremely painful sensations. Malignant neoplasms of lymphoid tissues tend to grow rapidly. Specialists distinguish the following symptoms of Burkitt's lymphoma:
- The appearance of single or multiple tumors in the jaw area, capable of moving to other organs.
- The process of breaking bones.
- Presence of a failure in breathing or swallowing.
- The process of soft tissue infiltration.
- Deformation of the jaw and nose.
In addition, with lymphoma, there may be other symptoms associated with a general toxic syndrome, including feverish conditions. It is worth mentioning the abdominal form of Burkitt's lymphoma, which is characterized by a rapid course of a progressive nature along with complex diagnosis. In this case, there is damage to organs such as the kidneys, liver, pancreas and intestines.
Abdominal symptoms
How does this type of pathology manifest itself? Let's take a closer look at this issue. Abdominal type of diseaseusually accompanied by the following symptoms:
- The appearance of a feverish state.
- Development of jaundice.
- Feeling pain in the abdomen.
- Development of intestinal obstruction.
- General exhaustion of the body.
- The appearance of dyspeptic syndrome.
In the course of the progression of the infection, which was caused by the Epstein-Barr virus, a malignant neoplasm may form, which will be located on the lateral side of the nasal cavity. As a rule, such a formation can spread extremely quickly to the nasopharynx, metastasizing to the region of the submandibular lymph nodes. Signs of this form of the disease can be various discharges from the nasal cavity, which usually take the form of mucus with pus. Sometimes blood can be found in this mucus.
During the development of the malignant process, patients may experience pain that radiates to the temple area. Noise in the ears is not ruled out. In the event that the tumor is located on the side wall of the nasopharynx, hearing impairment may occur. General toxic symptoms can also form with great speed.
In immunocompromised patients, leukoplakia of the oral cavity, mucous membranes of the tongue and lip rims may occur. Sometimes doctors observe pathological foci on the head of the penis in men. In women, localization of foci on the cervix, and also in the vagina, is likely. Such foci, as a rule, have the appearance of whitish areas that differ clearlypronounced boundaries. As a result of the appearance of such foci, a burning sensation may occur. In the event that these areas are injured, bleeding may occur.
Diagnosis of Burkitt's lymphoma
In order to make a diagnosis, the patient is first of all prescribed a biopsy of the pathological tissue. Further, the material is sent for histological examination in order to clarify the stage of lymphoma. Under a microscope, it is usually possible to see many small dark lymphocytes, which are interspersed with macrophages from time to time. Thus, the lymphocytes try to phagocytize the tumor cells.
Bilateral biopsy as a method of diagnosing pathology
Depending on the location of the lymphoma, a bilateral biopsy may be performed along with bone marrow aspiration. In addition, it is possible to refer to the x-ray of the chest, pelvis. It is equally important to examine the abdominal cavity and perform lymphangiography of the lower extremities along with a liver biopsy.
Next, we will find out how this pathology is currently being treated.
What is the treatment for Burkitt's lymphoma?
Treating a disease
To treat this disease, doctors usually turn to the use of chemotherapy. Thus, drugs such as Cyclophosphamide are used along with Etoposide, Cytarabine, Vincristine, Doskorubicin, and Methotrexate.
As part of complex treatment, doctors often use immunomodulators. For treatmentmalignant tumors caused by the Epstein-Barr virus, recombinant interferons are used, which are used in large dosages. Currently, chemotherapy has been combined with antiviral drugs. This makes it possible to achieve higher efficiency. As part of the treatment, chemotherapy drugs are given to patients intravenously or directly into the cerebrospinal fluid.
The course of chemotherapy against the background of cancer and Burkitt's lymphoma directly depends on the stage of the disease. It should be noted that under the condition of early appointment, it is possible to cure the patient completely. As for the last stages, they use a surgical method of treatment. If bleeding or ruptures occur in the intestine, doctors may remove part of it.
This is the treatment for Burkitt's lymphoma.
Prognosis for this pathology
The most favorable prognosis of lymphoma is, as a rule, in children, and in addition, with localized processes. In the event that timely treatment is not carried out, the disease can inevitably lead the patient to death. The overall survival rate immediately after a course of chemotherapy in the presence of this pathology in children is from sixty to ninety percent. Among adult patients, the survival rate reaches from seventy to eighty percent. It should also be noted that among adult patients, the outcome of treatment may be unpredictable.
Conclusions on the article
So, what conclusions can be drawn? In conclusion, it should be said that with timely and competent treatment, Burkitt's lymphoma can recede quite quickly, so in general, we can still talk about a favorable prognosis. It is important to emphasize that a suitable scheme for the prevention of this disease has not yet been developed. As noted earlier, in Russia this pathology is extremely rare. Usually, only visiting people get sick with lymphoma, and the zero probability of infection with them allows us to conclude that this pathology is irrelevant for our latitudes.
