Eradication therapy for Helicobacter pylori in patients with gastric MALT lymphoma: a pooled data analysis.
OBJECTIVE
Helicobacter pylori eradication is recognized as the initial therapy for gastric low-grade, B-cell, mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma. This study assesses (i) the H. pylori eradication rates for various first- and second-line and rescue therapies and (ii) the associated reinfection rates in patients.


METHODS
Pooled data analysis of systematic review of the literature was performed in this study.


RESULTS
Data from 34 studies with 1,271 treated patients were used. After first-line therapy, the infection was cured in 91% (95% confidence interval (CI)=89.4-92.5) of cases, the eradication rate being higher after dual therapy compared with the 7- or 14-day triple therapies (P=0.0525). After second-line therapy, the eradication rate was 80.8% (95% CI=82.7-95.1), being higher after triple rather than quadruple therapy. Further therapies (from three to five attempts) cured the infection in 75% of patients. H. pylori infection was ultimately cured in 1,250 patients, resulting in eradication rates of 98.3% (95% CI=97.6-99) and 99.8% (95% CI=99.6-100) at intention-to-treat and per-protocol analysis levels, respectively. Bacterial reinfection occurred in 18 (2.7%; 95% CI=1.4-3.9) of 676 patients who were followed-up (0.7% yearly). Overall, gastric lymphoma remission was achieved in 973 (77.8%) of 1,250 patients successfully cured of H. pylori infection.


CONCLUSIONS
This was the first comprehensive ( approximately 1,300 patients) analysis of the therapeutic management of H. pylori in gastric lymphoma patients. Data suggest that this infection is easily managed in these patients, being cured in nearly all cases.
Zullo
Angelo
A
Department of Gastroenterology and Digestive Endoscopy, Nuovo Regina Margherita Hospital, Via E. Morosini, 30, Rome 00153, Italy. zullo66@yahoo.it
Hassan
Cesare
C
Andriani
Alessandro
A
Cristofari
Francesca
F
De Francesco
Vincenzo
V
Ierardi
Enzo
E
Tomao
Silverio
S
Morini
Sergio
S
Vaira
Dino
D
D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori; D006801:Humans; D018442:Lymphoma, B-Cell, Marginal Zone / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012008:Recurrence; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*