Three Patients Diagnosed with Burkitt Lymphoma Arising from the Digestive Tract

Abstract

We report three patients diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma after emergent surgery. Case 1 involved a 54-year-old man who was referred to our hospital for back pain, lower abdominal pain, and oliguria. Symptoms worsened within 1 week. Emergency surgery was performed. The intestinal wall appeared thickened overall and a tumor was identified in the terminal ileum. The tumor was resected and ileostomy was carried out. Burkitt lymphoma was diagnosed on pathological examination. Chemotherapy was performed and the patient showed complete response. Case 2 involved a 72-year-old woman who came to our hospital with fever and backache. She showed multiple tumors with ulceration in the stomach on gastrointestinal endoscopy. Because stopping bleeding from the gastric tumor was difficult, she underwent emergency gastrectomy. She was diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma by pathological examination and received chemotherapy. However, she died 30 days after surgery because of bone marrow invasion. Case 3 involved an 82-year-old man who was referred to our hospital with a 1-week history of abdominal pain and distension. He underwent emergency surgery under a diagnosis of appendicitis. The tip of the swollen appendix adhered to a tumor of the omentum, so appendectomy including the omentum was performed. He was diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma, received chemotherapy, and achieved complete response.