[Rectal localization of Burkitt's lymphoma]

Primary Burkitt's lymphoma of the colon--an uncommon cause of acute constipation and abdominal pain

Constipation is a common problem in children and adolescents, accounting for over 25% of all visits to pediatric gastroenterologists. Approximately 95% of childhood constipation is functional in nature. Primary gastrointestinal malignancies are rare in childhood and adolescence. When present in the gastrointestinal tract, Burkitt's lymphoma is typically located in the ileocecal region. We present a case of primary Burkitt's lymphoma of the transverse colon in an adolescent presenting with acute exacerbation of constipation, abdominal pain, and later, rectal bleeding and progressive weight loss.

[Two pelvic tumors which should not be operated, lymphoma of Burkitt and actinomycosis]

The treatment of the pelvic tumors depends of their histological nature. Some of them require only one medical treatment without recourse to surgery. We report two rare cases of pelvic tumors occurring in young adults. For the first case, actinomycosic nature was related to the histological study of the surgical biopsies. Concerning the second case, the lymphatic nature of a tumor of the low rectum was retained on the immunohistochimic study of the endoscopic biopsies. The evolution was uneventful in the two cases after a medical treatment containing penicillin G or a chemotherapy. We discuss at the time of these two observations the diagnostic difficulties and the therapeutic methods of these rare affections.

Primary Burkitt lymphoma presenting as a solitary rectal polyp in a child

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) accounts for approximately 60% of all lymphomas in children and adolescents. It represents 8-10% of all malignancies in children aged between 5 and 19 years. Primary rectal lymphoma in childhood is extremely rare. This report focuses on the importance of considering the possibility of malignancy in rectal polyps. We report a 5-year-old girl with fresh rectal bleeding who was admitted in our clinic. In physical exam, we found a single pedicled polyp on the posterior wall of the rectum. Surgical removal under general anesthesia involved polyp and its pedicle. Dimensions of the extirpation material were 1.5 x 1.0 x 0.8 cm. Histopathological examination and immunohistochemistry study of the polyp revealed a high-grade B-cell lymphoma (Burkitt lymphoma). These studies also showed lymphoma cells on the surgical border. The patient was referred to pediatric oncology center for chemotherapy. Primary rectal lymphoma in childhood is extremely rare; therefore, the possibility of malignancy in rectal polyps should be considered in the pediatric patients.

Rectal burkitt lymphoma in childhood

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.

HIV-related and Epstein-Barr virus-associated anal Burkitt's lymphoma: report of a case

PURPOSE

This article describes and discusses primary Burkitt's lymphoma of the anus which is an extremely rare site of origin.

METHODS AND RESULTS

A 38-year-old HIV+ Rwandan farmer had an 8-cm x 13-cm anal tumor. Histopathology and immunohistology provided evidence of an Epstein-Barr virus-associated Burkitt's lymphoma. Chemotherapy in combination of virostatic therapy is the gold standard for treatment, but because of economic constraints surgical treatment was the only practicable intervention and an abdominoperineal resection of the anorectum was performed.

CONCLUSIONS

Because of the AIDS epidemic and the increase of anal malignant pathologies, anal Burkitt's lymphoma may appear more frequently. Adequate treatment is available for only a small percentage of patients.

Adult Burkitt's Lymphoma

Burkitt's lymphoma is a mature B-cell lymphoma that is characterized by a rapid proliferative rate and propensity for extranodal sites of involvement such as the gastrointestinal tract and central nervous system. This subtype of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is associated with unique cytogenetic translocations involving the c-MYC oncogene on chromosome 8, which appears to be involved in the pathogenesis of this disease. Although current literature is limited by a lack of randomized trials, Burkitt's lymphoma appears to be curable in a high proportion of cases if treated with aggressive multiagent chemotherapy regimens. The use of autologous stem cell transplantation appears to benefit patients who have had chemotherapy-sensitive relapses. The role of allogeneic stem cell transplantation for this disease remains uncertain. Patients with HIV-associated Burkitt's lymphoma appear to have a better prognosis today, which is likely a result of more effective antiretroviral therapy and the ability to treat selected patients with more aggressive chemotherapeutic regimens than before. This article will review the epidemiologic, biologic, diagnostic, and therapeutic aspects of Burkitt's lymphoma in adults.