Main Entry: Bur·kitt's lymphoma

Pronunciation: \ˌbər-kəts-\

Variant(s): also Burkitt lymphoma \-kət-\

Function: noun

: a non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of B cell origin that affects primarily the upper and lower jaws, orbit, retroperitoneal tissues situated near the pancreas, kidneys, ovaries, testes, thyroid, adrenal glands, heart, and pleura, that occurs especially in children of central Africa, and that is associated with Epstein-Barr virus

Burkitt, Denis Parsons (1911–1993), British surgeon. In 1957 while in Uganda, Burkitt identified for the first time the cancer that now bears his name. In 1970 he published a monograph entitled Burkitt's Lymphoma.