Diagnosis of Burkitt's tumor in the united states

The relationship between Burkitt's tumor, so-called conventional childhood lymphosarcoma and acute leukemia in children, is the subject of controversy. The distinction between these diseases appears to offer little difficulty hi those areas of Africa where Burkitt's tumor is endemic Comparative studies of cases of childhood lymphoma and leukemia in the United States have indicated that a clear-cut distinction can not be made between Burkitt's tumor and childhood lymphoma of the poorly differentiated lymphocytic or “stem cell” type. Furthermore, no single criterion can be considered as pathognomonic of Burkitt's tumor, the diagnosis of which rests on a combination of histologic, cytologic, clinical and gross anatomical features.