title: Diagnosis in childhood abdominal Burkitt's lymphoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The role of surgery has changed substantially over the years in abdominal Burkitt's lymphoma. Laparotomy without total excision of the tumor does not have a positive effect on survival, might cause complications, and delays initiation of chemotherapy. Here we present our diagnostic management of patients with abdominal Burkitt's lymphoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  The diagnostic methods of abdominal Burkitt's lymphoma cases treated between January 1999 and December 2009 were evaluated retrospectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 48 abdominal Burkitt's lymphoma patients, 13 also had extra-abdominal site involvement. Diagnosis was made with ultrasound-guided tru-cut needle biopsy of the abdominal mass (n = 11), fluid cytology (n = 7), extra-abdominal site biopsy (n = 4), bone marrow aspiration (n = 2), gastroscopy (n = 1), and laparotomy (n = 23). In patients diagnosed with laparotomy, chemotherapy was started in 4-22 days (median 7) compared with patients diagnosed with other diagnostic interventions in 2-4 days (median 2) (P < .001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although the most frequently used technique is laparotomy and open biopsy in our series, other methods provided quicker initiation of chemotherapy and less surgical morbidity. Especially in patients with high stages, cytological evaluation and tru-cut needle biopsy with radiological guidance is a better alternative of laparotomy.
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Oncology, Sisli Etfal Education and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Sema
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vural
authors.forename: Didem
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Baskin
authors.forename: Oner
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Dogan
authors.forename: Nedim
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Polat
authors.forename: Can
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Caliskan
authors.forename: Nafiye
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Urganci
authors.forename: Serap
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Karaman
mesh_terms: D000008:Abdominal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D000293:Adolescent; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D002051:Burkitt Lymphoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007813:Laparotomy; D008297:Male; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate