Small Bowel Lymphoma

Intussusception of a small bowel large B-cell lymphoma

Gastrointestinal tumors can rarely cause intestinal intussusception. Herein, we describe a 74 year-old male with a presumed diagnosis of Crohn's disease who presented with persistent symptoms refractory to medical management. Radiography demonstrated small bowel intussusception into the cecum. Lower endoscopy with biopsy diagnosed small bowel large Bcell lymphoma. Management included laparoscopic ileocecectomy and adjuvant R-CHOP chemotherapy. Long term outcomes of small bowel large B-cell lymphoma are related to disease stage at diagnosis, and average close to 75 %.

Abbreviated chemotherapy for limited-stage diffuse large B-cell lymphoma after complete resection

Background

Abbreviated chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy or full cycles of chemotherapy is recommended as a standard treatment for limited-stage (LS) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). After complete resection of tumors, however, Burkitt and childhood B-cell Non-Hodgkin lymphoma show favorable outcomes, even after abbreviated chemotherapy of only 2 or 3 cycles. We investigated the effectiveness of abbreviated chemotherapy in patients with LS DLBCL after complete tumor resection.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed 18 patients with LS DLBCL who underwent complete tumor resection followed by either 3 or 4 cycles of chemotherapy between March 2002 and May 2010.

Results

With a median follow-up period of 57.9 months (range, 31.8-130.2 months), no patients experienced disease relapse or progression; however, 1 patient experienced secondary acute myeloid leukemia during follow-up. The 5-year progression-free survival rate and overall survival rate were 93.3% and 94.1%, respectively.

Conclusion

These results warrant further investigation into abbreviated chemotherapy as an alternative treatment for patients who have undergone complete resection of LS DLBCL.

Small bowel tumors

Although rare, small bowel tumors may cause significant morbidity and mortality if left undetected. New endoscopic modalities allow full examination of the small bowel with improved diagnosis. However, isolated mass lesions may be missed by capsule endoscopy or incomplete balloon-assisted enteroscopy. Therefore the use of radiologic imaging and intraoperative enteroscopy for diagnosis should not be forgotten. Endoscopic resection of small bowel polyps and certain vascular tumors is possible but requires proper training. Advances in endoscopic tools are likely to broaden the endoscopic management of small bowel tumors. This article describes the general features of small bowel tumors, clinical presentation, and diagnostic tests followed by a description of the more common tumor types and their management.

Primary gastrointestinal tract lymphoma: diagnosis and management of common neoplasms

Primary gastrointestinal lymphoma represents the most common location of extranodal lymphoma. With the bulk of disease manifesting within the gastrointestinal tract and contiguous lymph nodes, many of the lymphomas occurring in the peripheral lymph nodes can also present with primary gastrointestinal tract involvement. Molecular biology has recently enabled significant progress in the diagnosis and management of primary gastrointestinal lymphoma. Herein, we will discuss the major lymphomas affecting the bowel and highlight their key morphological, immunophenotypical and molecular diagnostic attributes. Similarly, in keeping with recent therapeutic advances, we will briefly discuss some important treatment considerations. Thus, this review is intended to offer clinicians and pathologists an overview of primary gastrointestinal lymphomas.

[Primary small bowel lymphoma]

We present four patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the small bowel. Three of the patients were men. Two patients presented with acute abdomen due to tumoral perforation and the remaining 2 presented with abdominal pain and other effects of the mass. The tumors were located in the ileum (1 patient), jejunum (2 patients) and jejunoileum (1 patient). All patients underwent resection of the affected segment. Three patients had large B-cell lymphomas and the remaining patient had a T-cell lymphoma associated with celiac disease. Different combinations of chemotherapy were administered. Only the patient with T-cell lymphoma died due to disease progression. Clinical aspects and the therapeutic strategy used in these tumors are discussed.