A form of undifferentiated malignant LYMPHOMA usually found in central africa, but also reported in other parts of the world. It is commonly manifested as a large osteolytic lesion in the jaw or as an abdominal mass. B-cell antigens are expressed on the immature cells that make up the tumor in virtually all cases of burkitt lymphoma. The Epstein-Barr virus (herpesvirus 4, human) has been isolated from burkitt lymphoma cases in africa and it is implicated as the causative agent in these cases; however, most non-African cases are EBV-negative.