Unusual cause of adult intussusception: diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: a case report and review

Abstract

Background: Intussusception is defined as the telescoping of a segment of the gastrointestinal tract into an adjacent one. A demonstrable etiology is found in 70% to 90% of cases in adult patients, and about 40% of them are caused by a primary or secondary malignant tumor. The aims of this study were to give an overview of the literature on intussusception due to gastrointestinal lymphoma.

Materials and methods: We present a case of ileocecal intussusception secondary to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), as well as a literature review of studies published in the English language on intussusception secondary to lymphoma, accessed through PubMed and Google Scholar databases.

Results: Thirty-six published cases of intussusception caused by lymphoma were evaluated, and a case of ileocecal lymphoma in a 62 year-old woman is herein presented. In the reviewed literature, 33 reports meeting the aforementioned criteria were included in this review. The patients were aged from 16 to 86 years (mean, 48.2 +/- 19.0 y). Twenty-nine were male and seven were female. According to the localization of lymphoma, 24 patients had ileo-colic intussusception, 10 had enteric, and 2 had colic intussusception. In terms of the diagnosis, 34 patients were diagnosed with various types of NHL, and two patients were diagnosed with HL.

Conclusions: Despite the rarity of intussusception cases secondary to malignant causes, particularly lymphoma, it is rather difficult to diagnose preoperatively by surgeons. Because there exists a risk of malignancy in a substantial portion of adult intussusception cases, resection should be performed in a manner consistent with the oncological principles.