Multiple Ulcerating Malignant Lymphoma of the Gastrointestinal Tract with Perforation

ABSTRACT

Malignant lymphoma of the gastrointestinal tract is a rare lesion, which comprises 1~4% of the malignant neoplasms of the gastrointestinal tract. Abdominal pain and weight loss are the most common symptoms and an abdominal mass, the most common physical finding. This tumor is often discovered at a late stage; a diagnosis should be done on all patients undergoing an emergency operation for an obstruction, hemorrhage, or perforation. We report a case of a multiple ulcerating malignant lymphoma of the gastrointestinal tract with perforation in a 60 year-old male. The patient visited our hospital because of a sudden onset of acute abdominal pain. The operative finding was multiple masses on the small bowel, sigmoid colon, and stomach, plus multiple perforations of the small bowel. We performed a multiple small bowel segmental resection and an anastomosis at the site of the perforated lesion. The pathologic evaluation diagnosed it as a malignant lymphoma and the patient was treated with cyclophosphamide, adreiamycin, and vincristine. We report this rare disease with a review of the literature.