Abdominal Presentation In Burkitt's Lymphoma With Mortality From Renal Failure: Report Of Two Cases

Burkitt's lymphoma, the commonest childhood malignancy in Tropical Africa, although highly chemosensitive and now curable, still causes high morbidity and mortality in Nigeria because of various adverse factors militating against its effective management. We report two cases of Burkitt's lymphoma with massive tumour load who died from acute renal failure. The patients' case files were retrieved and reviewed. We also reviewed the literature on Burkitt's lymphoma. Death from acute renal failure in these patients could have been prevented if treatment was commenced early. The various adverse factors affecting management outcomes of BL in Nigeria including poor education, poverty, poor environmental living conditions, massive tumour load at presentation and acute tumour lysis syndrome are well illustrated by these two cases.