Endemic Burkitt lymphoma (eBL), a malignancy of immune B cells, is the most common childhood cancer in sub-Saharan Africa
eBL is curable when it's identified early, but it's rapidly fatal without treatment
Children in sub-Saharan Africa are over 50 times more likely to develop eBL than children living anywhere else in the world
Unfortunately, few studies have examined the risk factors associated with eBL
To address that gap, researchers conducted a study of eBL in children in three countries in East Africa
They analyzed the relationship between eBL and infections, environmental, and genetic risk factors and focused their conclusions on results observed in at least two countries to minimize false-positives
Risk of eBL was associated with low socio-economic status inpatient malaria treatment and living in areas targeted for malaria suppression
In addition to exploring eBL risk factors, this study also demonstrates the potential to study cancer risk in East Africa and to detect, treat, or prevent eBL
Learn more at emblem.cancer.gov
Peprah et al. Risk factors for Burkitt lymphoma in East African children and minors. Int. J. Cancer. (2019)