A rare case of Burkitt’s lymphoma of the duodenal bulb

Gastrointestinal tract involvement in immunodeficiency-related Burkitt’s lymphoma is not common and the duodenal involvement is very rare. We report the case of a 35-year-old man admitted because of abdominal pain, vomiting and weight loss. Human immunodeficiency virus infection was diagnosed and upper digestive tract endoscopy showed marked edema and hyperemia of the duodenal bulb with some violaceous areas. Immunohistochemical study of the bulbar tissue samples confirmed the diagnosis of Burkitt’s lymphoma. To our knowledge, duodenal Burkitt’s lymphoma affecting only the bulb has not been previously reported in the medical literature. In patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection who present with upper gastrointestinal symptoms, upper endoscopy may be diagnostic of malignancy and biopsies should be obtained from abnormal areas.