a rare presentation of childhood burkitt`s lymphoma with tense ascites, massive pleural effusion and abdominal mass

burkitt's lymphoma is a lymphatic tumor classified as non-hodgkin lymphoma with small non cleaved cells. the disease has an incidence of two cases per million patients in north america, and usually present with an intra-abdominal tumor, or enlarged cervical lymph nodes. massive amounts of peritoneal and plural fluid is rarely seen in these patients. a three year-old girl presented with massive pleural effusion, ascites, mesenteric infiltration, and intraperitoneal mass is discussed in this report. burkitt's lymphoma is a highly aggressive tumor with a very rapid growth and a variety of different presentations. it is potentially curable, if highly intensive multidrug chemotherapy is used with aggressive central nervous system prophylaxis.