Rectal Burkitt Lymphoma in Childhood

Abstract

Lymphomas are the third most common cancer in children and Burkitt lymphoma (BL) accounts for about 40% of them. The rectum is extremely seldom involved in BL: 91 children were treated at our institution for BL between 1987 and June 2006, but none of them had involved the rectum. We report here on a 9-year-old boy who presented with bowel bleeding and subocclusion, which proved due to a BL of the rectum. The role of surgery for this tumor is limited nowadays, except for surgical emergencies, biopsies, and second-look surgery in selected cases.

Primary rectal lymphoma: A case report and review of literature

“…There have been few case reports of rectal lymphoma in children. [ 10 11 12 ] The distribution of primary gastrointestinal tract lymphomas is different in adults and children, with the stomach being the most common site in adults while they occur most frequently in the distal ileum or ileocecal region in children. On abdominal CT, the lesion may be bulky with concentric thickening of the bowel wall or it may manifest as multiple polyposis or mucosal ulcerations.…”

“…[ 5 6 ] Primary colorectal lymphoma comprises around 10% of gastrointestinal lymphomas[ 7 8 ] and 0.5%–2% of large bowel malignancies. [ 8 9 ] The presentation, treatment, and prognosis of colorectal lymphoma differ from lymphoma of rest of gastrointestinal system, and only few case reports of pediatric rectal lymphoma have been described;[ 10 11 12 ] hence, it is important to study this entity in detail.…”