Case Report

Burkitt´s Lymphoma with Prior Varicella Infection Presenting with Guillain–Barré Syndrome: A Case Report

Abstract

Burkitt’s lymphoma (BL) emerges as the most prevalent subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in pediatric populations. Several studies have demonstrated a connection between certain viral infections and Burkitt’s lymphoma, suggesting a potential correlation between these factors. Although BL typically presents with
lymph node involvement, neurological manifestations are quite rare. In this report, we detail the case of a 13-year-old male patient who initially presented with a varicella zoster infection, accompanied by neurological symptoms consistent with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), and subsequently developed a substantial
submandibular mass. Diagnostic imaging, along with biopsy, confirmed a diagnosis of high-grade B-cell lymphoma consistent with BL.

[1] Burkhardt B, Michgehl U, Rohde J, Erdmann T, Berning P, Reutter K, et al. Clinical relevance of molecular characteristics in Burkitt lymphoma differs according to age. Nat Commun. 2022 Jul 6;13(1):3881. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-31355-8
[2] Evens AM, Danilov A, Jagadeesh D, Sperling A, Kim SH, Vaca R, et al. Burkitt lymphoma in the modern era: real-world
outcomes and prognostication across 30 US cancer centers. Blood. 2021 Jan 21;137(3):374-86. https://doi.org/10.1182/
blood.2020006926
[3] Sinclair N, Babyn P, Kinloch M, Sinha R. A Rare and Unusual Case of Burkitt’s Lymphoma Presenting with a Prostate Mass in a 12-Year-Old Boy. Case Rep Radiol. 2014;2014:106176. https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/106176
[4] Crombie J, LaCasce A. The treatment of Burkitt lymphoma in adults. Blood. 2021 Feb 11;137(6):743-50.
https://doi.org/10.1182/blood.2019004099
[5] Costanzo R, Scalia G, Marrone S, Umana GE, Giuffrida M, Furnari M, et al. Primary spinal Burkitt’s lymphoma: Case report and literature review. Surg Neurol Int. 2021 Aug 3;12:387. https://doi.org/10.25259/SNI_649_2021
[6] Jiang QX, Shi LJ, Hong XY, Zhu YQ, Guo QL, Xie W, et al. Ultrasound Diagnosis of Bilateral Primary Breast Burkitt
Lymphoma in a 28-Year-Old Lactating Patient: A Case Report. Cancer Manag Res. 2024 Sep 11;16:1247-52. https://doi.
org/10.2147/cmar.s483592
[7] Asadbeigi SN, Deel CD. Burkitt-Like Lymphoma with 11q Aberration: A Case Report and Review of a Rare Entity.
Case Rep Hematol. 2020 Sep 7;2020:8896322. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/8896322
[8] Alexander C, George C, Tinatin J, Maia S, Maia M, Mitrofanis P. Orbital Burkitt lymphoma: a case presentation. BMC
Ophthalmol. 2014 Sep 8;14:109. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2415-14-109
[9] Grimm S, Chamberlain M. Hodgkin’s Lymphoma: A Review of Neurologic Complications. Adv Hematol. 2011;2011:624578. https://doi.org/10.1155/2011/624578
[10] Malik F, Gonzalez M, Zafar W. Burkitt Lymphoma of the Duodenum: An Uncommon Phenomenon. Case Rep
Gastrointest Med. 2019 Mar 7;2019:7313706. https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/7313706
[11] Sivolella S, Rizzo G, Valente M, Lumachi F. Sporadic Burkitt Lymphoma Mimicking Osteomyelitis of the Mandible Revealing Clinically Unsuspected HIV Infection. Anticancer Res. 2015 Sep;35(9):4837-9.
[12] Koca T, Aslan N, Dereci S, Akcam M. Burkitt lymphoma with unusual presentation: Acute pancreatitis. Pediatr Int. 2015 Aug;57(4):775-7. https://doi.org/10.1111/ped.12640
[13] Lin WC, Chang C, Ko MC, Lin SM. A fatal case of severe systemic varicella zoster infection in a patient with chronic use of immunosuppressive agents for cutaneous vasculitis. IDCases. 2019 Nov 9;19:e00667. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.idcr.2019.e00667
[14] Hoyoux C, Forget P, Piette C, Dresse MF, Florkin B, Rausin L, Thiry A. Paravertebral Burkitt’s Lymphoma in a Child: An Unusual Presentation. Case Rep Med. 2012;2012:891714. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/891714
[15] Molyneux EM, Rochford R, Griffin B, Newton R, Jackson G, Menon G, Harrison CJ, Israels T, Bailey S. Burkitt’s lymphoma. Lancet. 2012 Mar 31;379(9822):1234-44. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(11)61177-x
Files
IssueVol 10 No 3 (2025): May-June QRcode
SectionCase Report(s)
DOI https://doi.org/10.18502/crcp.v10i3.20311
Keywords
Burkitt’s lymphoma (BL) Non-hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) Guillain–barré syndrome Varicella infection

Rights and permissions
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
1.
Heydari Z, Kaji Yazdi M. Burkitt´s Lymphoma with Prior Varicella Infection Presenting with Guillain–Barré Syndrome: A Case Report. CRCP. 2025;10(3):114-117.