title: The diagnosis of early gastric lymphoma.
abstract: In analogy to the early carcinoma of the stomach, early gastric lymphoma is defined as a tumour with a maximum depth of infiltration extending into the submucosa. Among 94 consecutive gastric surgical specimens investigated, 45 (47.9%) early lymphomas were diagnosed. Macroscopically, most of these tumours present a non-uniform "variegated picture". There appears to be no relationship between the largest transversal diameter of the gastric lymphoma and its depth of penetration. In contrast, a statistically significant relationship was detected between the degree of malignancy and the depth of infiltration. Involvement of the regional lymph nodes by lymphoma is increased significantly with a high degree of malignancy and greater depths of infiltration, while the incidence of lymph follicles decreases. An analysis of the morphology of the surgical specimens reveals that - in common with early cancer of the stomach - early lymphomas, too, pass through a "malignant cycle". Depth of infiltration and degree of malignancy also have an influence on the number of endoscopic/biopsy examinations necessary to permit a definitive diagnosis of lymphoma.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology, Klinikum Bayreuth, West Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stolte
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Eidt
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness / Q000473:pathology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011230:Precancerous Conditions / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013270:Stomach / Q000473:pathology; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery