Gastric Malt lymphoma: a clinicopathological study.

The detection of HP infection by means of non invasive methods such as breath test and urease test, which are adopted alternatively to histological examination, can delay the diagnosis of early lymphomas. On the other hand the proved regression of gastric low grade Malt lymphomas after a successful HP eradication strongly suggests the need for early diagnosis. The aim of this study was to report the results of our experience with regard to clinical, endoscopic, histopathologic, and immunohistochemical features of gastric MALT lymphomas. We studied twenty-seven consecutive cases of gastric Malt lymphoma. HP presence in gastric mucosa was detected in all cases but endoscopy only in 40.7% of cases giving a diagnosis of suspected malignancy. In conclusion, it is very important to sample gastric mucosa in HP positive patients because the histological examination represents the most effective tool to detect lesions at the earliest and curable stage.