A clinical and histologic review of malignant lymphomas of children younger than age 16 (excluding Hodgkin's disease) was made from cases collected for an 11-year period by the Department of Pathology of the Universidad del Valle in Cali, Colombia, South America. Of 21 cases 10 had a histologic picture similar to that of Burkitt's tumor. Nine of them had clinical features resembling those described in Africa for this tumor. However, another 7 cases presented the same clinical form in the absence of the corresponding histological pattern. These findings were considered to favor the opinion that Burkitt's tumor represents a form of lymphosarcoma and that it is not confined to equatorial Africa. Possible causes for the uneven distribution of such form in different geographical areas were briefly considered and the need for further studies indicated.