Oligoclonal IgG in CSF of patients with African Burkitt's lymphoma.

Oligoclonal IgG bands were detected in CSF from 12 of 13 patients with African Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) who exhibited neurologic signs or symptoms of CNS involvement. Twenty-three of 26 patients free of neurologic involvement with this tumor were found to lack the oligoclonal IgG bands in their CSF. None of six patients with non-BL included in this study had these bands in their CSF. None of six patients with non-BL included in this study had these bands in their CSF samples. These findings suggest that detection of these bands may be a useful adjunct for determining the presence of African BL that invades the CNS.