Burkitt Lymphoma: Focused RN Companion

Burkitt lymphoma is a highly aggressive mature B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Deregulated MYC drives very rapid cell proliferation, which explains both the fast clinical pace and the high risk of tumour lysis syndrome (TLS). Current classification integrates tissue morphology, a germinal-centre B-cell immunophenotype, a very high proliferation index and an IG::MYC rearrangement. A MYC result alone is not enough: other high-grade B-cell neoplasms can carry MYC abnormalities and require different classification. Both EBV-positive and EBV-negative biological groups occur. Disease can also arise in association with acquired or inherited immune dysfunction, including HIV and uncommon cancer-predisposition syndromes, but neither EBV nor an immune disorder is present in every patient. Burkitt lymphoma occurs in children and adults; age, disease distribution, immune status and treatment setting affect the protocol selected. It is distinct from indolent lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and primary CNS lymphoma. For nursing care, the key mental model is a rapidly changing systemic malignancy that needs urgent specialist confirmation, prompt protocol-based therapy and prevention of predictable metabolic emergencies.