Abstract

Primary gastrointestinal (GI) lymphoma accounts for 30–50% of all extranodal non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas, making the GI tract the most common site of extranodal non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas. Most GI lymphomas belong to the B cell lineage. Burkitt lymphoma (BL) is a highly aggressive mature B cell neoplasm that occurs in three forms: endemic, sporadic, and immunodeficiency-associated. Sporadic BL accounts for 1–2% of all adult lymphomas and usually presents as an abdominal manifestation of extranodal disease involving the distal ileum or cecum. Primary BL of the duodenum is rare. However, this report emphasizes the importance of awareness of the malignancy potential of duodenal polyps. We report the case of a 70-year-old woman admitted to our ward with upper GI bleeding due to duodenal polyps. An upper GI endoscopic examination showed button-like polyps with central depression, and an immunohistochemical study of the polyps revealed a high-grade B cell malignancy (BL). Consequently, the patient was treated with aggressive chemotherapy. The tumors regressed after chemotherapy. Although primary duodenal Burkitt lymphoma is very rare, the possibility of malignancy should be considered if a patient presents with duodenal button-like polyps with a central depressed surface.

Abstract

Hepatobiliary involvement by malignant lymphoma is usually a secondary manifestation of systemic disease, whereas primary non-Hodgkins lymphoma of the extrahepatic biliary ducts is an extremely rare entity. We describe the case of a 57-year-old man who presented with an acute onset of obstructive jaundice and severe itching. Abdominal ultrasonography and computed tomography revealed intrahepatic and common hepatic ducts dilatation. Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography showed a mid-common bile duct stricture. The patient was presumed to have cholangiocarcinoma of the common bile duct, and an en bloc resection of the tumor with Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy and porta-hepatis lymph nodes dissection was performed. Histopathology and immunohistochemistry revealed a large B cell non-Hodgkins lymphoma. The patient received six cycles of combination chemotherapy using cyclophosphamide, vincristine, prednisone, and rituximab (CVP-R) protocol, and after a 5-year follow-up he is still in complete remission. We also reviewed the cases published from 1982 to 2012, highlighting the challenges in reaching a correct preoperative diagnosis and the treatment modalities used in each case.