title: Burkitt-like lymphomas in AIDS patients: characterization within a series of 103 human immunodeficiency virus-associated non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. Burkitt's Lymphoma Study Group.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Burkitt-like lymphoma (BLL) is a tumor with morphologic features intermediate between Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) and large-cell lymphoma, but its relationship with these lymphomas is currently unclear. We have therefore analyzed its characteristics within a large series of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated lymphomas.
  
  
  METHODS
  Clinical, histologic, immunophenotypic, and molecular analyses were performed on 103 patients with AIDS lymphomas.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nineteen cases (18.4%) were identified as BLL. They were monoclonal B-cell proliferations, as evaluated by immunoglobulin (Ig) gene rearrangement analyses, and had rearrangement of the c-myc oncogene in 68% of cases but not the bcl-2 gene, in contrast to a previous study on non-HIV-associated BLL. This molecular pattern was therefore identical to that of typical BL, suggesting that they represented tumors of similar origin. However, some features could clearly differentiate BLL from BL and were similar to those seen in the diffuse large-cell immunoblastic lymphomas (DLC-IBL) group. These included a greater frequency of Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) infection (79% v 48%, P = .04), an upregulation of CD39 (50% v 0%, P = .0007) and CD70 (75% v 15%, P = .003) activation antigens and of the CD11a/LFA-1 adhesion molecule (83% v30%, P = .05), and, finally, a lower CD4 count (mean, 119/microL v 270/microL, P = .04).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  BLL is a frequent entity among AIDS lymphomas and should be considered as a morphologic variant of BL in the context of severe immunodepression that occurs in HIV-infected patients.
authors.affiliation: Département d'Hématologie and Unité Recherche Associée du Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique 625, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France. fdavi@pasteur.fr
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Davi
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Delecluse
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Guiet
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gabarre
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fayon
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Gentilhomme
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Felman
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bayle
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Berger
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Audouin
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Bryon
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Diebold
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Raphaël
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis; D002051:Burkitt Lymphoma / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D019254:Genes, bcl-2 / Q000235:genetics; D016259:Genes, myc / Q000235:genetics; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D016483:Lymphoma, AIDS-Related / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm