Burkitt’s lymphoma is a type of blood cancer, considered rare and particularly aggressive. Lymphomas are developed due to an abnormal reproduction and enlargement of the white blood cells called lymphocytes and they can be classified as Hodgkin’s or non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Burkitt’s lymphoma is a non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma originated in the B-cells and it can be rapidly fatal when untreated in a timely manner.
The disease is named after Denis Burkitt, a British surgeon who was the first to identify it in African children. It was 1956 when the surgeon demonstrated the existence of the fastest growing tumor, which is related to impaired immunity. This type of lymphoma is still a great problem among children and adults in Africa, due to diseases that weaken the immune system. Outside the continent, the disease is rare and in the United States there are about 1,200 new cases annually.
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