Burkitt′s lymphoma masquerading as intestinal obstruction: An uncommon entity with variable clinical presentation

Small bowel lymphoma is a comparatively rare disease. Usually neither typical nor explicit symptoms are determined during its course and the first manifestation can be noticed when a complication occurs. Burkitt′s lymphoma is a high-grade, aggressive and rapidly growing B-cell neoplasm, which has low long-term survival rates. Sporadic Burkitt′s lymphoma accounts for 1-2% of lymphomas in adults and for 40% of lymphomas in children in the worldwide population. The abdomen is the most frequent site of onset in nonendemic (sporadic) Burkitt′s lymphoma. Symptoms are often misleading and make diagnosis difficult. We present a case of a 5-year-old male child who presented with symptoms of acute intestinal obstruction. Emergency therapeutic and diagnostic laparotomy was performed and biopsy from thickened ileal wall was taken. Histopathologically, it was diagnosed as non-Hodgkin′s lymphoma possibly Burkitt′s lymphoma and confirmed on immunohistochemistry.