Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0021051 (immunodeficiency)
 71,517 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Dennis Burkitt's first description of the African tumor that is now known by his name appeared in 1958. In the brief intervening span of 32 years, this lymphoma has provided an extraordinarily valuable paradigm that has afforded insights into topics that encompass the entire discipline of oncology. These include the origins of lymphoid neoplasms at epidemiological, cellular, and molecular levels, and the efficacy of chemotherapy in rapidly progressive, widely disseminated lymphomas. In addition, epidemiological considerations led to the discovery of a new virus, the Epstein-Barr virus, which has proved to be an important human pathogen. This virus probably plays a pathogenetic role in several neoplastic diseases, including the lymphoproliferative syndromes associated with inherited and acquired immunodeficiency. Small, noncleaved cell lymphoma is the latest histological designation of the category of lymphomas that includes Burkitt's lymphoma. This tumor, which is biologically heterogeneous, has become notorious because of its high incidence in individuals infected with the human immunodeficiency virus, which is providing a second, potentially fertile model for the exploration of the pathogenesis of lymphoid neoplasms. Already, enough is known of the pathogenesis of Burkitt's lymphoma to permit the first tentative steps toward the development of novel therapeutic approaches directed toward the molecular genetic abnormalities associated with the neoplasm. In this article, the history, biology, clinical features, and treatment of African Burkitt's lymphoma are reviewed.
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PMID:African Burkitt's lymphoma. History, biology, clinical features, and treatment. 206 32

A strong association was found to exist between patterns of lymphoid malignancies and socioeconomic status. B-cell lymphomas and T-acute lymphoblastic leukemia are much more prevalent in developing countries where the chances of acquiring infections especially at a younger age are high. B-cell precursor acute lymphatic leukemia, however, are much more prevalent in the Western world. Many infectious agents are associated with lymphatic malignancies. Epstein-Barr virus is involved in African Burkitt's lymphoma, human immunodeficiency virus-related Burkitt's lymphoma, lymphoproliferative syndrome post-transplantation, and Hodgkin's disease. Other infectious agents which may play a role in lymphoproliferative disorders are human immunodeficiency virus in acquired immune deficiency syndrome-associated lymphoma, human T-lymphotropic virus in adult T-cell lymphoma, Helicobacter pylori in mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma, theileriosis in lymphoproliferative syndrome in cattle, Avian leukosis virus in chicken bursal lymphoma, and possibly a bacterial infection in immunoproliferative small intestine disease, potentially reversed by antibiotic therapy. The association between infectious agents and hematologic malignancies may be explained by the creation of large populations of activated cells followed by higher occurrences of 'genetic accidents'. This theory may be reinforced in at least some malignancies with the existence of viral proteins which either have complex relationships with key cellular gene products like p53 and Rb which have roles in cell cycle control, or share common motifs with bc1-2, therefore operating as anti-apoptotic elements. Whenever these genes are deranged, cell deoxysibonucleic acid repair or apoptosis are no longer possible, thereby creating a state of genome instability, increased acquisition of mistakes, and increased chances for malignant transformation.
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PMID:Infectious agents and environmental factors in lymphoid malignancies. 881 40