Clinicopathological profile of primary gastric lymphoma: A single-center experience of 45 patients in Benghazi, Libya

Abstract

Background/Aim: Gastric lymphoma can be primary or secondary, and it comprises <5% of all patients with gastric primary neoplasms. The presenting symptoms of primary gastric lymphoma (PGL) are usually nonspecific and are similar to common upper gastrointestinal disease symptoms. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common subtype, followed by marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of the mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT). The present study aims to describe the clinicopathological characteristics of PGL. Patients and Methods: This was a cross-sectional and retrospective study of patients with PGL who were diagnosed in the Department of Oncology/Haematology, Benghazi Medical Centre, from January 2010 to December 2017. Results: A total of 45 cases of PGL were diagnosed. The mean age was 54 years, ranging from 17 to 83 years. The number of male and female patients was 26 (57.5%) and 19 (42.5%), respectively. Abdominal pain was the most common presenting symptom. The gastric antrum was the most common anatomical site of involvement (28 [62%]). DLBCL was the predominant histological subtype (28 [62%]). Serum Helicobacter pylori immunoglobulin G antibodies were raised in 19 (42.2%) patients. Half of the patients were in stage II1 at presentation (according to Lugano staging system). Conclusions: DLBCL and MALT lymphoma were the most common subtypes, and H. pylori infection was found in most of the patients with MALT lymphoma. Despite the clinical presentation being usually nonspecific, most of our patients were diagnosed with stage I or II disease.