Remission Of Mucosa-associated Lymphoid Tissue Lymphoma Research Articles

Low-grade gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma: Clinicopathological factors associated with Helicobacter pylori eradication and tumor regression.

353 Background: Eradication of Helicobacter pylori is widely accepted as the initial therapy for low-grade gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma. The aim of this study was to assess the remission and relapse rates of low-grade gastric MALT lymphoma after H. pylori eradication and to identify the clinical factors affecting remission. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 151 patients diagnosed with gastric MALT lymphoma from May 2003 to December 2018. Results: Of the 151 patients, 112 (74.2%) had an H. pylori infection. Total regression rates with eradication was 90.2% (101/112) in H. pylori-positive patients and 55% (11/20) in H. pylori-negative patients. Age, sex, tumor location, endoscopic findings, and the severity of mononuclear lymphocytes were not related to achieving successful initial H. pylori eradication and remission. However, patients with a smaller H. pylori burden ( p=0.030) and less neutrophil infiltration ( p=0.003) were more likely to achieve a successful initial H. pylori eradication. H. pylori ( p<0.001) and the burden ( p=0.020) were significantly related to remission of MALT lymphoma. Conclusions: The results show that H. pylori burden and neutrophil infiltration were inversely related to the success of the initial H. pylori eradication procedure and that the H. pylori burden was inversely related to the remission of MALT lymphoma.

Helicobacter heilmannii infection: Clinical, endoscopic and histopathological features in Japanese patients

Gastric biopsy materials of 4074 consecutive Japanese patients undergoing esophagogastroduodenoscopy were reviewed, along with those of 15 patients with Helicobacter heilmannii infection (11, chronic gastritis; four, mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma). In four patients with H. heilmannii infection, the materials were examined by transmission electronmicroscopy. Urea breath test (three patients) and antibody test (five patients) were performed in patients with H. heilmannii infection. In two patients with MALT lymphoma, H. heilmannii was eradicated. The prevalence of H. heilmannii was 0.1% in the consecutive series. In chronic gastritis, the gastric mucosa was endoscopically normal (13.3%), had erythema (33.3%), or had erosions (53.3%); histologically, it showed no epithelial change, mild mononuclear cell infiltration, and slight and focal neutrophil infiltration; Helicobacter heilmannii was positive with anti-H. pylori antibody, and was detected in the mucous gel layer and in foveolae. In MALT lymphoma, the gastric mucosa was coarsely granular with enlarged mucosal folds without ulcers (two cases), with small ulcers (one case), or with multiple erosions (one case). Urea breath test and antibody test were both negative. Eradication of H. heilmannii resulted in remission of MALT lymphoma. Helicobacter heilmannii infection is therefore uncommon in Japanese adults, but is associated with chronic gastritis and gastric MALT lymphoma.

Regression of low-grade gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma after eradication of Helicobacter pylori: possible association with p16 hypermethylation.

Many reports have stated that the cure of Helicobacter pylori infection can induce a complete remission of low-grade gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma. Although p16 hypermethylation was frequently found in MALT lymphoma, the association between this finding and the remission of MALT lymphoma has not been clarified. We performed a prospective study to evaluate the outcome of patients with low-grade gastric MALT lymphoma and the expression of p16 hypermethylation. We prospectively enrolled 20 patients with H. pylori-positive low-grade gastric MALT lymphoma (stage I E1). After the eradication of H. pylori, the patients were regularly followed-up with endoscopic and histological assessment. The methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (MSP) method was used for the serial detection of p16 hypermethylation. Eighteen patients (90%) achieved complete remission, with a median duration of 15.7 months. The initial detection rate of p16 hypermethylation was 58% (7 of the 12 patients in whom p16 hypermethylation was evaluated successfully). In a serial investigation, 3 patients who were followed-up for a median 28 months showed that the p16 hypermethylation had disappeared. Complete remission of low-grade gastric MALT lymphoma after the eradication of H. pylori infection can be maintained for more than 1 year. Further studies are warranted to investigate the role of p16 hypermethylation in the pathogenesis of gastric MALT lymphoma.