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Epstein–Barr virus in paediatric sporadic Burkitt lymphoma: real-world experience from a Peruvian national referral centre

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Introduction: Burkitt lymphoma (BL) is an aggressive B-cell lymphoma, representing 30%-40% of childhood non-Hodgkin lymphomas globally.In Peru, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is highly prevalent in lymphomas, yet its role in paediatric BL remains underexplored.Objective: This study evaluates the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of paediatric BL at the National Institute of Neoplastic Diseases, focusing on EBV-positive cases, pathological features, treatment response and prognostic factors, within the real-world setting of a lower-middle-income country (LMIC).From 2009 to 2021, 187 aggressive B-cell lymphomas were diagnosed in children, from which 34 high-grade B-cell lymphomas underwent central pathology review, yielding 23 molecularly confirmed sporadic BL cases.Inclusion criteria comprised age <15 years, availability of tumour tissue for immunohistochemical analysis and available clinical records. Materials and methods:Results: EBV infection was detected using EBV-encoded RNA (EBER) in situ hybridisation, and MYC translocation (8q24) was identified via FISH.Among the subset, 61% were EBVpositive, with males comprising 65% and a mean age of 6.7 years.EBV-positive status and younger age were associated with inferior survival in univariate analyses (log-rank p = 0.012 and p = 0.009, respectively).The association with EBV was attenuated after exploratory adjustment (HR, 3.69; 95% CI, 0.35-38.98;p = 0.278). Conclusion:In this cohort, 61% of paediatric sporadic BL cases were EBV-positive, associated with younger age (p = 0.01) and inferior survival in univariate analysis (log-rank Research

Source: ecancermedicalscience

DOI: 10.3332/ecancer.2026.2230