A Case of Intestinal T-cell Lymphoma Presenting with Perforation in which a Long-term Prognosis was Achieved After Surgery

Abstract

A 53-year-old man with a 7-hour history of abdominal pain presented to the emergency room. On admission, he showed severe tenderness, rebound tenderness, and muscle guarding in the left side of the abdomen. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) revealed free air, ascites, and irregular wall thickness in the left side of the small intestine. Emergency surgery was performed after the patient was diagnosed as having a small intestinal perforation because of a tumor. During surgery, irregular wall thickness and perforation were observed in the small intestine. A resection of the small intestine was performed. The patient was diagnosed as having intestinal T-cell lymphoma and was discharged without complication. He underwent chemotherapy and autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation at another hospital. CT revealed complete remission. However, 4 years 2 months after the surgery, the tumor recurred at the lymph nodes of his neck. The patient died 4 years 6 months after the surgery, despite chemotherapy, because of lymphoma infiltration of the central nervous system and respiratory failure.