Burkitt's lymphoma pathophysiology

Malignant B cell characteristics
Malignant B cells have identical DNA recombinations of the V(D)J region of the Immunoglobin genes. This means that no increase in specificity of Antibody molecules is occurring in the malignant cells. These malignant cells are thus clonal populations and can be assayed for by using DNA probes specific for the regions where recombination is expected. Normal DNA will be characterized by two high concentration of identical germ line DNA V(D)J regions and endless, likely undetectable, non-germline Ig V(D)J DNA. Lymphoma cells have an additional high concentration of V(D)J DNA that is unlike the germline, indicating clonal populations of B Cells that are not undifferentiated B Cells (Germline DNA cells). Assays typically use the process of Electrophoresis and southern blot analysis to determine the existence of these characteristics.

Pathological Findings
Image courtesy of Professor Peter Anderson DVM PhD and published with permission © PEIR, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Department of Pathology