Mw. Saif et Br. Greenberg, ABDOMINAL PRESENTATION OF BURKITTS-LYMPHOMA IN AN HIV-POSITIVE PATIENT, AIDS patient care and STDs, 12(7), 1998, pp. 567-571
The incidence of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) has greatly increased in
the AIDS population. It has been estimated that 8% to 27% of newly di
agnosed cases of NHL are related to AIDS.' The vast majority are clini
cally aggressive B cell-derived lymphomas. AIDS-associated NHLs are cl
assified according to their anatomic site of location into three class
es: (1) systemic (both nodal as well as extranodal), (2) primary centr
al nervous system, and (3) body cavity-based lymphomas.(2) We present
a case report of a patient with HIV infection who presented with abdom
inal pain and distension and was found to have an intraabdominal type
of Burkitt's lymphoma. This case underlines the following points: 1. T
n the evaluation of acute abdominal disease in a patient with AIDS, bo
th AIDS-related infections as well as malignancies should be sought in
the differential diagnosis. 2. Computed tomographic scanning of the a
bdomen is the modality of choice for characterization of disease as we
ll as direction of appropriate therapy. 3. AIDS-related NHL remains an
important biologic model for investigating the development and progre
ssion of lymphomas in the immune-deficient host. 4. With the improved
survival of patients with AIDS secondary to better prevention and trea
tment of infections, there may be an increase in AIDS-associated malig
nancies; therefore, further research pertaining to the development and
characterization of therapy modalities of such malignant tumors is ma
ndatory.