Burkitts lymphoma is caused by -

Ans. is 'a' i.e., EBV Burkitts lymphomao Burkitt's lymphoma is a B-cell lymphoma arising from germinal center B-cells. As this a tumor of mature B-cells it expresses IgM, CD19, CD20, CD10 and BCL 6 a phenotype consistent with a B-cell origin. However, unlike other tumors of germinal center origin, Burkitt lymphoma almost always fails to express the anti-apoptotie protein BCL-2.o All forms of Burkitt lymphoma are associated with translocations of c-Myc gene on chromosome 8. The usual translocation is t (8:14). Other less common translocations are t (2 : 8) and t (8 : 22).o Most of the patients in United States with Burkitt's lymphoma present with peripheral lymphadenopathy or an intra abdominal mass. The disease is typically rapidly progressive and has a propensity to metastasize to CNS.o Chemotherapy is the treatment of choice in Burkitt's Lymphoma. Burkitt's Lymphoma was one of the first cancers shown to be curable by chemotherapy.Morphologyo A high mitotic index is typical, as is apoptotic tumor cell death, accounting for the presence of numerous tissue macrophages writh ingested nuclear debris. These benign macrophages are diffusely distributed among the tumor cells and have abundant clear cytoplasm, creating a characteristic "starry sky" pattern.o "Starry sky" pattern may also be seen in lymphoblastic lymphoma (acute lymphoblastic leukemia/ lymphoma: ALL), but it is more characteristic of Burkitts lymphoma.