Background: Primary gastrointestinal lymphomas are the most common type of primary extra nodal lymphomas. In
particular, primary intestinal lymphomas constitute about 25-40% of all gastrointestinal lymphomas. Our aim in this
study is to find out the clinical patterns and surgical outcome in management of patients with primary intestinal
lymphoma.
Methods: A retrospective study at Sohag University Hospital from January 2013-to February 2017, included 17
cases, diagnosed histopathologically as primary intestinal lymphoma and subjected to surgical treatment.
Demographic data, clinical presentations and management outcome were analyzed.
Results: Seventeen consecutive patients with primary intestinal lymphoma, presented mainly by abdominal pain and
abdominal mass. The definite preoperative diagnosis was detected only in 7 patients (41%) via preoperative
histopathologic biopsy (3 by CT guided biopsy, 2 via diagnostic laparoscopy and remaining 2 by lower endoscopic
biopsy). The other 10 patients (59%) were discovered incidentally during laparotomy. Radical resection was
performed to 11 cases (65%), while palliative resection was employed to the remaining 6 cases. All patients received
postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. Two patients were lost to follow up, while the remaining investigated 15 cases,
3 of them were died (20%), 2 of the 3 total deaths presented with preoperative acute symptoms necessitating urgent
laparotomy.
Conclusion: Primary intestinal lymphomas are commonly diagnosed incidentally during abdominal exploration and
most of them presented with abdominal pain. Complete surgical resection followed by adjuvant chemotherapy seems
to be effective treatment in most cases. Surgical outcome of urgent cases of primary intestinal lymphoma carries poor
prognosis.