NCI-Epidemiology of Burkitt Lymphoma in East African Children and Minors (EMBLEM)

A genome-wide analysis of genetic structure, gene flow, and natural selection was conducted in populations in the endemic Burkitt lymphoma (eBL) belt in Ghana and Northern Uganda, both subject to a high incidence of falciparum malaria and eBL. These populations have different ethnolinguistic ancestries and are located 2400 miles apart in sub-Saharan Africa. We characterized genetic composition of these populations in the context of 22 additional African populations and present evidence for gene flow events that occurred in the last 3000 years, possibly related to regional migrations in Western Africa and major migrations involving Nilotic, Cushitic, and Bantu groups. The Ugandan population was comprised of 758 children (mean age ~7 years) from 17 Western Nilo-Saharan tribes. The current dataset includes 561 healthy children and 197 children with eBL from northern Uganda.]]> Eligibility into the EMBLEM study was restricted to children residing in two regions of Northern Uganda (West Nile and North-Central Regions) for at least 4 months before onset of eBL or the date of enrollment in the eBL-free children from the same community. The BL-free children included matched population controls (MPCs) enrolled from 100 villages, pilot population controls (PPCs) enrolled from their homes and health center II (HCII) controls enrolled from children attending local health centers for minor ailments. The PPCs and HCII controls were enrolled in 12 villages. Children with cancer and severe illness requiring hospital treatment were excluded from the controls.]]> The current analysis is part of a larger case-control study to investigate genetic and infectious risk factors of eBL in East Africa (https://www.emblem.cancer.gov/).]]>