title: Helicobacter pylori-Negative Primary Rectal MALT Lymphoma: Complete Remission after Radiotherapy.
abstract: Rectal mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma is a rare condition. Although the majority of patients undergo surgical resection, a definitive treatment for rectal MALT lymphoma has not yet been established. In the present study, we report the outcome of radiotherapy in 3 patients with rectal MALT lymphoma. Our cohort ranged from 56 to 65 years of age. The male/female ratio was 1:2, and all patients were in stage I (Lugano classification) of the disease. Endoscopic findings revealed elevated lesions resembling submucosal tumors in 2 patients, and a sessile elevated lesion with a nodular surface in 1 patient. One of the 3 patients underwent magnifying endoscopy with crystal violet staining that demonstrated a type I pit pattern (Kudo's classification) lesion with a broad intervening area caused by the upthrust of the tumor from the submucosa. All patients tolerated radiotherapy at doses of 30 Gy without major complications and achieved complete remission. Follow-up ranged from 13 to 75 months (mean 51.0 months), revealing no recurrence of MALT lymphoma. As such, we propose radiotherapy to be a safe and effective means for treating rectal MALT lymphoma.
authors: Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan.
authors: Takuma
authors: T
authors: Okamura
authors: Tomoaki
authors: T
authors: Suga
authors: Yugo
authors: Y
authors: Iwaya
authors: Tetsuya
authors: T
authors: Ito
authors: Shuichi
authors: S
authors: Yokosawa
authors: Norikazu
authors: N
authors: Arakura
authors: Hiroyoshi
authors: H
authors: Ota
authors: Eiji
authors: E
authors: Tanaka