Gastric MALT lymphoma presented with primary perforation in an adolescent: a case report

BACKGROUND: Primary lymphomas of the gastrointestinal tract are rare, accounting for only 1 to 4% of malignancies arising in the stomach, small intestine, or colon. The stomach is the most common extranodal site of lymphoma and gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma accounts for 40% of primary gastric lymphoma. Gastric MALT lymphoma reaches its peak incidence between 50 to 60 years of age, therefore, it is rarely encountered in pediatric population. The presenting symptoms of gastric MALT lymphoma are usually nonspecific and primary perforation of gastric MALT lymphoma is uncommon. CASE PRESENTATION: A 12 year-old female presented with iron deficient anemia developed gastric perforation. Emergency laparoscopic repair of the perforation was performed and tissue pathology showed gastric MALT lymphoma infiltration. Helicobacter pylori eradication and radiotherapy were sequentially performed. Complete remission was achieved at two months after radiotherapy. To our best knowledge, she is the youngest patient with gastric MALT lymphoma reported in the literature. CONCLUSION: Iron deficient anemia is a common presenting manifestation of malignancies in adulthood. In pediatric population, iron deficient anemia is usually caused by nutritional deficient or blood loss. In this case report, we present a teenaged female without previous gastric ulcer history who presented with a rare gastric tumor and an uncommon primary perforation. Even if there is an uncertainty about the exact diagnosis prior to the surgery, the strategy of stomach-preserving therapy by laparoscopy for primary perforation was successful and provided a good quality of life. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s12887-019-1431-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.