Primary malignant tumors of lymphoid origin are not particularly common in the gastrointestinal tract. When compared with other primary malignancies, they seem rare indeed. It is estimated that of all the primary tumors of the intestinal tract, less than 3% fall into this category. It is equally true that primary involvement of the gastrointestinal tract in cases of malignant lymphoma is uncommon. Rappaport, Winter, and Hicks7 report a survey of 253 lymphomas, only 12 of which were in the gastrointestinal tract. Gall and Mallory,2 in 1942, reviewed 545 cases of malignant lymphoma, of which only 16 were primarily in the gastrointestinal tract.
This low incidence, however, should not discourage interest in the condition, particularly the interest of surgeons, for while it is true that most lymphomas are generalized and are best treated medically with the newer and more effective forms of radio- and chemotherapy, this is often not