Lymphome non-Hodgkinien de l’enfant : Prise en charge chirurgicale lors d’un tableau abdominal révélateur

Gastrointestinal and oncologic outcomes of pediatric gastrointestinal lymphoma following upfront resection or biopsy of bowel masses

PURPOSE

Complete upfront resection of pediatric gastrointestinal lymphomas is recommended over biopsy whenever feasible, but either approach may have adverse sequelae. We sought to compare gastrointestinal and oncological outcomes of pediatric gastrointestinal lymphomas who underwent attempted upfront resection or biopsy of the presenting bowel mass.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed charts of children with gastrointestinal lymphomas treated on LMB89 and LMB96 protocols from 2000 to 2019 who underwent upfront gastrointestinal surgery, and compared resection and biopsy groups.

RESULTS

Of 33 children with abdominal lymphomas, 20 had upfront gastrointestinal surgery-10 each had resection or biopsy. Patients with attempted upfront resections had fewer postoperative gastrointestinal complications compared to biopsies (10% vs. 60%, p = 0.057), but longer time to chemotherapy initiation (median 11.5 vs. 4.5 days, p < 0.001). Three resection patients were surgically down-staged. Second surgeries were required in 30% and 40% of resected and biopsied patients, respectively, at median 4.6 months. Survival was similar in both groups, but better in patients on LMB96 protocol and stage II/III disease.

CONCLUSIONS

Children with upfront attempted resection had low rates of surgical down-staging, greater delay in chemotherapy initiation, but fewer gastrointestinal complications and subsequent surgeries than biopsies. Survival was similar regardless of upfront surgery, likely reflecting beneficial effects of newer protocols.

Resection of a colonic mass following trauma: a diagnostic dilemma

A 53-year-old Caucasian male presented with a 2-week history of abdominal distension, pain, nausea and lethargy. His symptoms began 1 day after an all-terrain vehicle accident during which he suffered blunt-force trauma to his mid-right abdomen. CT scan demonstrated abnormal thickening of the ascending colon and terminal ilium with surrounding inflammation within the retroperitoneum and colonic mesentery. Given his likely mechanism and symptomatic improvement, he was initially managed conservatively. However, he was readmitted with recurrence of symptoms, and a repeat CT scan demonstrated no interval improvement. An exploratory laparotomy was performed and a firm, fixed mass of the right-colon and colonic mesentery was found. Final histopathology of the mass revealed a diffuse lymphoid infiltrate with numerous mitotic figures and apoptotic cells. Immunohistochemical staining was positive for CD45, CD20, CD10, and BCL-6 and negative for CD3, TdT, and BCL-2, indicating a diagnosis of Burkitt lymphoma.

Diagnosis in childhood abdominal Burkitt's lymphoma

BACKGROUND

The role of surgery has changed substantially over the years in abdominal Burkitt's lymphoma. Laparotomy without total excision of the tumor does not have a positive effect on survival, might cause complications, and delays initiation of chemotherapy. Here we present our diagnostic management of patients with abdominal Burkitt's lymphoma.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The diagnostic methods of abdominal Burkitt's lymphoma cases treated between January 1999 and December 2009 were evaluated retrospectively.

RESULTS

Of the 48 abdominal Burkitt's lymphoma patients, 13 also had extra-abdominal site involvement. Diagnosis was made with ultrasound-guided tru-cut needle biopsy of the abdominal mass (n = 11), fluid cytology (n = 7), extra-abdominal site biopsy (n = 4), bone marrow aspiration (n = 2), gastroscopy (n = 1), and laparotomy (n = 23). In patients diagnosed with laparotomy, chemotherapy was started in 4-22 days (median 7) compared with patients diagnosed with other diagnostic interventions in 2-4 days (median 2) (P < .001).

CONCLUSION

Although the most frequently used technique is laparotomy and open biopsy in our series, other methods provided quicker initiation of chemotherapy and less surgical morbidity. Especially in patients with high stages, cytological evaluation and tru-cut needle biopsy with radiological guidance is a better alternative of laparotomy.

[Two pelvic tumors which should not be operated, lymphoma of Burkitt and actinomycosis]

The treatment of the pelvic tumors depends of their histological nature. Some of them require only one medical treatment without recourse to surgery. We report two rare cases of pelvic tumors occurring in young adults. For the first case, actinomycosic nature was related to the histological study of the surgical biopsies. Concerning the second case, the lymphatic nature of a tumor of the low rectum was retained on the immunohistochimic study of the endoscopic biopsies. The evolution was uneventful in the two cases after a medical treatment containing penicillin G or a chemotherapy. We discuss at the time of these two observations the diagnostic difficulties and the therapeutic methods of these rare affections.