Bowel perforation during initial treatment for childhood non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

In the last 5 years we have seen six cases of bowel perforation during initial therapy for childhood non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Perforation occurred only in patients with Stage III or IV disease. It occurred in patients without clinically detectable mural disease of bowel. Children who suffered bowel perforation had a worse outcome than those who did not, but two of the six patients described have gone on to long-term disease-free survival more than 2 years from completion of their treatment.