Burkitt's lymphoma - a human tumor model system for immunological studies.

Burkitt's lymphoma occurs mainly in parts of tropical Africa and has attracted the attention of experimental workers due to its epidemiological and clinical features, which indicate a viral etiology and a host immune response to the tumor. As a result of virological studies, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA has been demonstrated in almost all tested biopsies of African BL. This contrasts to the absence of EBV in all, or almost all, of the non-African Burkitt's lymphoma-like tumors, even though the number of tested tumors in this group is small, and to the lack of EBV in all other types of lymphoma or leukemia. Immunological studies have revealed the presence of antibodies to different EBV-associated antigens in all African patients with Burkitt's lymphoma. However the antibodies are not specific for Burkitt's lymphoma but are found in most adults all over the world, although at lower levels. They cannot therefore serve diagnostic purposes, but they can give prognostic information and occasionally give clues to the mechanisms behind late tumor recurrences, and possibly guide so-called immunotherapy. Burkitt's lymphoma patients contrast to appropriate control groups where some of the persons are anti-EBV seronegative, and this, together with the presence of EBV in Burkitt's lymphoma biopsies and the absence of EBV in other lymphomas, even though the cell type involved may be infectable by EBV in vitro and the tumor may arise in an EBV-carrying person, favors an etiological role in EBV in Burkitt's lymphoma and speaks against the "passenger" hypothesis, according to which EBV is picked up by the Burkitt's lymphoma cell which happens to be particularly suitable for EBV persistence. To explain the geographical distribution, a cofactor, such as certain forms of malaria, has been implied.