Abstract

Malignant lymphoma of the gastrointestinal tract is a rare lesion that comprises 1∼4% of all the malignant neoplasms of the gastrointestinal tract. The incidence of intestinal T-cell lymphoma is much lower than that of the B-cell type. Intestinal T-cell lymphoma can sometimes carry a very poor prognosis because these patients are often diagnosed at advanced stages. These patients mostly present with nonspecific symptoms such as weight loss, abdominal pain or diarrhea and more frequently with features of small bowel obstruction or perforation. We report here on a case of a malignant small intestinal T-cell lymphoma that presented with perforation. A 51-year-old female had emergency operation because of small bowel perforation and she was diagnosed withperipheral T-cell lymphoma on the post-operative pathologic report. (Korean J Gastrointest Endosc 2008;37:40-44)

• Keywords: Lymphoma, T-cell, Intestinal perforation