Helicobacter pylori-associated gastritis and primary B-cell gastric lymphoma.
Although lymphoid tissue is absent in normal gastric mucosa, primary lymphomas arise in the stomach and most of these recapitulate the features of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT). Gastric lymphoid tissue is known to be acquired in response to local infection by Helicobacter pylori, and we have confirmed this in 450 patients with H pylori-associated gastritis of whom 125 showed mucosal lymphoid follicles. In 8 patients, B lymphocytes infiltrated epithelium, which is a feature characteristic of MALT. We also examined 110 cases of gastric MALT lymphoma and found H pylori infection in 101 of these (92%). We conclude that gastric MALT is acquired in H pylori infection and that this provides the necessary background in which MALT lymphoma might develop.
Department of Histopathology, University College and Middlesex School of Medicine, London, UK.
A C
AC
Wotherspoon
C
C
Ortiz-Hidalgo
M R
MR
Falzon
P G
PG
Isaacson
D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D005756:Gastritis / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000473:pathology; D016480:Helicobacter pylori; D006801:Humans; D016393:Lymphoma, B-Cell / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology