Burkitt Lymphoma

Question: How long can you live with Burkitt's Lymphoma? My 20 year old cousin just found out he has Burkitt's Lymphoma and the whole family is afraid he is going to die from this. We don't know what to do or what to say to him. He is going on about how he is going to die. I just want to know what to do for him. He goes to a cancer doctor 2mrw and we just hope they can help him. Can he make it through this?

Answer: This is an aggressive form of lymphoma, but with current medical improvements and better chemotherapy drugs the survival rate is not 60% and can be as high as 90% for people who have limited disease. Have a look at the link below, it gives you more information on this type of lymphoma http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/27… I wish you and your cousin all the very best - hope all goes well at his appointment tomorrow

Question: Inheritance Patterns in Burkitt Lymphoma? If a parent has the disease, what are the chances their offspring will get it? Is it autosomal dominant, or recessive?

Answer: Burkitt lymphoma is not inherited. We're not exactly sure what causes it but infection with Epstein Barr Virus may play a role. Outside of equatorial Africa, the disease is quite rare (about 100 new cases of Burkitt lymphoma in the US per year).

Question: What are the scientific names for the Korean Hemorrhagic Fever and Burkitt's lymphoma?

Answer: Korean Hemorrhagic Fever = Bunyaviridae Hantavirus

Question: My best friend found out he had lymphoma 2 months ago, burkitt's-like? I am scared I want to know how it works? I don't know much about it, I've been researching for days, He already started chemotherapy and is home and returns for treatments. The right side of his face has limited movement from time to time because it affected his nervous system?... what does that mean? Is it normal for this to happen?

Answer: You're a good friend to be so concerned. There are two major kinds of lymphomas, Hodgkin's Disease and Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Lymphomas are cancer of the lymphatic system -- the lymph nodes, lymphatic vessels, spleen, etc. All lymphomas that aren't Hodgkin's Disease basically are grouped together as Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. There are over 30 different types of Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and Burkitt's lymphoma is one of those types. Non-Hodgkin lymphomas are often further grouped together by how fast the tumor spreads as aggressive or indolent (slow-growing). Burkitt's is considered a highly aggressive N-HL. Burkitt's is most commonly found in children and is characterized by it's aggressive nature and the fact it usually involves the abdomen. It is more common in males. It is a very curable form of lymphoma with cure rates in the same range as Hodgkin's Disease. Unfortunately, Burkitt's can spread through the bones of the face and skull and into the nervous system. I think that's what your best friend is dealing with. Hopefully the paralysis he's experiencing is temporary and will go away with treatment. Here are some links: http://www.lymphomation.org/type-burkitt… You may also want to sign up for an account and ask questions on the lymphoma.com's N-HL board: http://forums.klov.com/ubbthreads/postli… You should find a lot of very helpful people with more information.

Question: how to comfort someone with burkitt's lymphoma? A family friend was diagnosed with burkitts. He is only 14 and supposed to go through extensive chemo all summer. He is really bummed to miss out. Do you have any ideas on what to do to comfort and help keep his mind off of it while at the hospital? Anyone that has been through or has had someone close to them go through it, any advice would be appreciated. I can pass on some info to the family. I want to do what I can while giving this young man privacy because I know how difficult it will get.

Answer: Very treatable cancer if caught early. Perhaps buy him an ipod, a laptop with mobile internet card, lots of DVDs and a portable DVD player, this will go a long way of taking his mind off. Then educate his friends in his school so they will understand the illness and not be so down and out by it, that the poor boy does not have to play councillor to his sad looking friends when they come visit him to cheer him up! Lots of young kids are totally overwhelmed when visiting peers in hospital, and it helps if they are realistic but cheery. When they are also 14, they need some adult guidance to get them kickstarted on the path of positivity. Take care.

Question: BURKITT-LIKE lymphoma? I'm trying to find people like me with Burkitt-like lymphoma or experts to exchange experiences and information. Thanks.

Answer: I suggest you try on online support group to get you started. I started one such group when my mother was dx'd with a rare type of cancer. From this source, you may 'meet' people who live near you and are willing to talk live. Such friendships have developed within the group I started for my mother. Here are a couple of groups you can try for starters. GOOD LUCK! http://www.mdjunction.com/burkitt-lympho… http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Bur…

Question: Burkitt's lymphoma? My sister recently passed away from Burkitt's lymphoma. She was only 28 years old. She had been diagnosed with infectious mononucleosis 1 month prior to this. She was only diagnosed 6 days before her death. Do people actually recover from this cancer? When I've done research on this cancer, it seems to be very agressive and the average life expectancy is 6 weeks. Any input? Any happy endings?

Answer: INPUT I'm sorry for your loss. Cancer is caused by poor nutrition (including oxygen) and stressors. Stressors can be environmental, like heavy metals, food additives or pollution, or emotional or job stress. Our bodies have 60 trillion--yes, trillion--cells, and there are always some mutating into cancer cells, but a healthy immune system kills them before they have a chance to get a foothold in the body. It takes a LONG time, usually, or an exrtaordinary amount of stressors, to degrade the immune system to the point where it won't do its job, but once cancer has formed, it can spread rapidly. THIS IS IMPORTANT! There are ways to BEAT cancer that the AMA is keeping from the American public, that are being used in Europe and around the world. Here is some information that is getting hard to find--"The Cure for All Cancers", ISBN 0963632825; "A Cancer Therapy", ISBN 0882681052; "Hydrogen Peroxide--Medical Miracle", ISBN 1885236077; "The Natural Cure for Cancer--Germanium", ISBN 0533071410; and "Killing Cancer", ISBN 0705000966. Type 'used books' into your browser and find a good site, then type in the ISBN numbers and get some great help cheap. I know of people whose cancer has 'spontaneously remitted' (WENT AWAY for no known reason) after they went on a program of herbs and nutrition. The American Medical Association and the pharmaceutical companies control medical law in this country, and they are in it for the money, and don't care about individuals. You and your family must look out for yourselves to stand a chance of being healthy. This is not a joke. Look into it. Best of luck I almost didn't share this because of your loss. But maybe this can help someone else you care about.

Question: How is Burkitt's Lymphoma inherited? Is it sex-linked, recessive. dominant??? I can't find out anywhere!

Answer: It is not passed on genetically..

Question: how rare is burkitt lymphoma?

Answer: Burkitt's lymphoma is listed as a "rare disease" by the Office of Rare Diseases (ORD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This means that Burkitt's lymphoma, or a subtype of Burkitt's lymphoma, affects less than 200,000 people in the US population.

Question: Burkitt lymphoma's heredity? Does anyone know if this genetic illness can be at all hereditary? And what genetic counseling is given to patients?

Answer: The simple answer is 'no'. There is no definitive hereditary link to Burkitt's lymphoma. That said, those with a a family history of NHL (including Burkitt's) are generally thought to have a higher risk. Researchers have speculated that genetics and exposure to viral infections could also pose an increased risk for developing Burkitt's. One thing that has been identified is a chromosome rearrangement between chromosome #8 and #14, which is very common among Burkitt's patients. This rearrangement in chromosome design causes genes to behave differently, and thus, promote uncontrolled cell growth. As the previous poster stated, there has also been a lot of speculation that associates both the Epstein-Barr virus (it causes mononucleosis) and the HIV virus that causes AIDS with a higher risk of Burkitt's lymphoma. This theory is not yet proven either. As for genetic counseling, I would suggest exploring the #8 and #14 with a certified professional genetic counselor. Good luck!