A 7-year-old boy from equatorial Africa presents with a rapidly growing jaw mass. Biopsy shows a 'starry-sky' appearance and medium-sized lymphoid cells. The tumor cells are driven by a translocation placing c-myc under control of the immunoglobulin heavy-chain enhancer. Which virus is most commonly associated with the endemic form of this malignancy?

• A Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) ✓
• B Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8)
• C Human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1)
• D Human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16)

Explanation

The jaw mass with 'starry-sky' histology and t(8;14) c-myc translocation is endemic Burkitt lymphoma. EBV is detected in nearly 100% of endemic (African) Burkitt lymphoma cases. EBV contributes through LMP-1 signaling and genomic instability, though the c-myc translocation is the central oncogenic event. HHV-8 causes Kaposi sarcoma and primary effusion lymphoma. HTLV-1 causes adult T-cell leukemia. HPV-16 causes cervical and oropharyngeal carcinoma, not Burkitt lymphoma.

Reference: Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease, 10th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.