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In its sporadic form, symptoms may imitate common infectious or surgical disorders, while mimics of other acute surgical conditions—such as Meckel-related complications with secondary peritonitis—are extremely rare and mainly reported in isolated cases. This article describes an adolescent with initially benign-appearing pain that evolved into Meckel’s diverticulitis and peritonitis, leading to imaging, surgery, rapid chemotherapy, and improvement. It highlights diagnostic challenges and the need to include lymphoproliferative disease in differential diagnosis for unexplained, persistent abdominal symptoms.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":35,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/healthcare/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/burkitt-lymphoma-presenting-as-acute-abdomen-beyond-infection-and-diverticulitis/443534/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/burkitt-lymphoma-presenting-as-acute-abdomen-beyond-infection-and-diverticulitis/443534.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Aurelia","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-30","2026-09-29",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":52},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"Why can Burkitt lymphoma present as an acute abdomen in adolescents?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"BL in its sporadic form often involves the abdomen and can produce nonspecific gastrointestinal symptoms. The rapid growth of the tumor may mimic infectious or surgical abdominal conditions.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"How rare is Meckel’s diverticulitis with secondary peritonitis as a presentation of sporadic Burkitt lymphoma?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"Reports of BL presenting with Meckel’s diverticulitis and secondary peritonitis are exceptionally uncommon, appearing in far fewer than 1% of pediatric Burkitt lymphoma cases and mainly as isolated case reports.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"What clinical steps helped reach the diagnosis in the reported case?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"Progressive clinical deterioration prompted extended imaging and surgical exploration. The diagnostic process ultimately led to sporadic Burkitt lymphoma and the prompt start of chemotherapy with rapid improvement.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},443534,1791098127,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":34,"category_name":35,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":52,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":39,"language":139,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":143,"read_time":46,"preview_page_count":4},1099514068365,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/10000253d8d9f28188e?_k=1776742907772140068","Review began 11/06/2025  \nReview ended 12/02/2025  \nPublished 12/06/2025  \n© Copyright 2025  \nFaria Tavares et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License CCBY 4.0. , which permits unrestricted use , distribution , and reproduction in any medium , provided the original author and source are credited.  \nDOI: 10.7759/cureus.98608  \nOpen Access Case Report  \nBurkitt Lymphoma Presenting as Acute Abdomen: Beyond Infection and Diverticulitis  \nCatarina Faria Tavares 1, Catarina Maia 2, Catarina Sousa-Lopes 3, Tânia Martins 4, Catarina Carvalho 3 , Ana Lúcia Cardoso 4  \n1. Pediatrics Department, Unidade Local de Saúde de Viseu Dão-Lafões, Viseu, PRT 2. Pediatric Cardiology Department, Unidade Local de Saúde de Santo António, Porto, PRT 3. Pediatric Surgery Department, Unidade Local de Saúde de Santo António, Porto, PRT 4. Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Unidade Local de Saúde de Santo António, Porto, PRT  \nCorresponding author: Catarina Faria Tavares, [catarinatavares27@gmail.com](catarinatavares27@gmail.com)  \nAbstract  \nBurkitt lymphoma (BL) is a highly aggressive mature B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma and a clinically important entity in pediatric oncology. In the sporadic form, abdominal involvement is frequent and may present with nonspecific gastrointestinal symptoms that can mimic common infectious or surgical conditions. However, presentations mimicking other acute surgical conditions, including Meckel-related complications with secondary peritonitis, are exceedingly rare and described almost exclusively in isolated case reports. We report the case of a previously healthy adolescent who presented with acute abdominal pain initially suggestive of a benign or infectious etiology, which subsequently evolved to a clinical picture compatible with Meckel’s diverticulitis and peritonitis. Progressive clinical deterioration prompted extended imaging and surgical exploration, which ultimately led to the diagnosis of sporadic Burkitt lymphoma and the prompt initiation of chemotherapy, with rapid clinical improvement. This case illustrates the diagnostic challenges posed by atypical abdominal presentations of Burkitt lymphoma in older children and underscores the importance of including lymphoproliferative disease in the differential diagnosis of adolescents with persistent or unexplained abdominal symptoms in order to facilitate earlier recognition and optimize outcomes.  \nCategories: Oncology, Pediatric Surgery, Pediatrics  \nKeywords: acute abdomen, adolescent, burkitt lymphoma, meckel’s diverticulitis, peritonitis  \nIntroduction  \nSporadic Burkitt lymphoma (BL) is the most common subtype of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma in children and is characterized by a translocation involving the MYC oncogene, most frequently t(8; 14)(q24;q32) [1] . BL is also one of the fastest-growing human tumors, with a doubling time of approximately 24 hours [2] . Non-Hodgkin lymphomas represent 7% of all pediatric cancers, of which BL accounts for more than 40%[1,2] .  \nThree clinical variants of BL are recognized, each with distinct features. The endemic type, common in malaria-endemic regions, is strongly associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection and typically involves the jaws. The sporadic type predominates in non-endemic areas such as North America, Europe, and East Asia and most often presents with abdominal, nodal, or genitourinary involvement. The immunodeficiency-associated variant occurs in patients with HIV/AIDS, posttransplant immunosuppression, or congenital immunodeficiencies [2] .  \nGastrointestinal symptoms are common, as they frequently present with abdominal symptoms, with abdominal pain occurring in roughly 60%-80% of cases due to rapid tumor expansion in the ileocecal region. Abdominal distension is also common, reported in about 40%-60% of children, and often reflects a large intra-abdominal tumor burden or ascites. A palpable abdominal mass is found on clinical examinati","cbCairqF2BfpA3zD","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCairqF2BfpA3zD","pdf",3937726,"English","# Abstract\n# Introduction\n## Clinical variants of Burkitt lymphoma\n## Gastrointestinal manifestations and diagnostic considerations\n# Case Presentation\n## Initial presentation and symptoms","[{\"question\":\"Why can Burkitt lymphoma present as an acute abdomen in adolescents?\",\"answer\":\"BL in its sporadic form often involves the abdomen and can produce nonspecific gastrointestinal symptoms. The rapid growth of the tumor may mimic infectious or surgical abdominal conditions.\"},{\"question\":\"How rare is Meckel’s diverticulitis with secondary peritonitis as a presentation of sporadic Burkitt lymphoma?\",\"answer\":\"Reports of BL presenting with Meckel’s diverticulitis and secondary peritonitis are exceptionally uncommon, appearing in far fewer than 1% of pediatric Burkitt lymphoma cases and mainly as isolated case reports.\"},{\"question\":\"What clinical steps helped reach the diagnosis in the reported case?\",\"answer\":\"Progressive clinical deterioration prompted extended imaging and surgical exploration. The diagnostic process ultimately led to sporadic Burkitt lymphoma and the prompt start of chemotherapy with rapid improvement.\"}]","Burkitt Lymphoma Presenting as Acute Abdomen: Beyond Infection and Diverticulitis | PDF",1790704357]