LYMPHOMAS OF THE ABDOMEN IN CHILDREN - RO LE OF SURGERY

To determine the place of surgery in the management of abdominal Burki tt's lymphoma, we retrospectively reviewed the records of 17 children treated over a period of 10 years (1983-1992). Patients were 14 males. Seven patients presented with acute abdominal pain, 6 with an abdomin al mass and 5 with inteestinal obstruction. In 3 cases, the diagnosis was made without laparotomy (2 percutaneous tumoral puncture, 1 pleura l puncture. In the 14 other cases, the diagnosis was made by laparotom y with 3 biopsies and 11 resection of the turner (7 complete and 4 inc omplete). These laparotomies were complicated by 1 evisceration and 2 intestinal obstruction. At the end of the initial chemotherapy, 1 chil dren was reoperated for a residual mass with no histological viable tu mor. Sixteen children were long term survivors (14 > 2 years); 1 died Surgery was indicated in cases of intestinal intussusception. In cases of abdominalmass, surgery could have been avoided twice (positive asc itic fluid). A complete tumoral resection had no influence on survival which depend of extra-abdominal extension and more over of response t o chemotherapy.