Intestinal perforation after treatment of Burkitt's lymphoma: Case report and review of the literature

Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL) is the most common intestinal malignancy in children, and Burkitt's lymphoma is the most frequently encountered histologic subtype. In pediatric patients, intestinal involvement of the lymphoma is a common finding. As over half of these intestinal tumors are unresectable at the time of presentation, chemotherapy is the mainstay of treatment. However, as the tumor responds to chemotherapy, regression of the tumor in the bowel wall can result in intestinal perforation. We report a unique case of a pediatric patient with lymphoma-related intestinal perforation which was managed with a damage control laparotomy, discuss operative management strategies in these difficult cases, and provide a review of similar cases in the literature.