Gallbladder burkitt lymphoma in a young man. A rare manifestation of obstructive jaundice

Malignant lymphoma is a rare form of malignancy of the gallbladder.

Case presentation: A 20-year-old male patient reported atypical epigastric complaints and right hypochondrium colics with concomitant symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease as well as mild conjunctival yellow tinge. In laboratory and imaging examination with ultrasound of the upper abdomen performed in the following days, the patient showed a picture of mild obstructive jaundice with a picture of cholecystopathy and dilatation of intrahepatic bile vessels (Mirizzi syndrome?). Due to the rapid worsening of right hypochondrium pain and jaundice, the patient was admitted to a hospital where he underwent an MRI scan that showed a lesion at the liver hilum. He underwent ERCP with placement of plastic biliary stent and gradually improving condition. The patient underwent in our department an endoscopic ultrasound scan with tissue obtained with an FNB 22g from a lesion that exits the gallbladder with necrotic elements that enclosed the common hepatic duct and plastic stent without obstructing them. The result of the biopsy was impressive with histological findings consistent with Burkitt's lymphoma.

Conclusions: Burkitt's lymphoma can occur in the gallbladder even extremely rarely, as in this young patient. Therefore, this disease should be taken into account in the differential diagnosis of a gallbladder tumor where the contribution of endoscopic ultrasound with biopsy can be extremely important in the early and valid diagnosis of a condition that requires an immediate chemotherapy approach and not surgery [1].

Publication History

Article published online:
27 March 2025

• References

• 1 Hosoda K, Shimizu A, Kubota K, Notake T, Hayashi H, Yasukawa K, Umemura K, Kamachi A, Goto T, Tomida H, Yamazaki S, Narusawa Y, Asano N, Uehara T, Soejima Y.. Gallbladder Burkitt's lymphoma mimicking gallbladder cancer: A case report. World J Gastroenterol 2022; 28 (6): 675-682 PMID: 35317428; PMCID: PMC8900544