GASTRIC MALT LYMPHOMA AND HELYCOBACTER PYLORI INFECTION

Introduction: Gastric MALT lymphoma accounts aproximately 7% of all gastric tumors. Women are mostly affected by this disease (mean age 60 years). The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of gastric MALT lymphoma in the Endoscopy Unit of the Department of Gastroenterology Of University Clinical Center Tuzla, the degree of histological malignancy and correlation with the Helycobacter pylori infection and then to evaluate the effectiveness of triple-antibiotic therapy (protonic pump inhibitors and antacides) in treatment of these cases. Patients and methods: All the patiens in the study were performed with gastroscopy and mucosal tissue biopsy in the Endoscopy Unit of the Department of Gastroenterology of UKC Tuzla. PHD and IHH analysis of the given material were performed in the Patology Department of UKC Tuzla. The blood analyses on H. Pylori were done in the Department of Microbiology of UKC Tuzla. Results: 112 patients with gastric tumors were involved in this study, 91 of whom suffered from malignant tumors, six of them had MALT lymphoma (five of them had confirmed H. pylori infection, four had histologically confirmed low-grade tumors and two was categorised as high grade malignancies). Histological lesions were classified according to the actual Ann Arbor classification. Patients with high malignancy risk underwent the operative procedures, and then were treated by polychemiotherapy (CHOP protocole, VI-VIII cikluses). All the patients with confirmed H. pylori infection were treated with antibiotics for 2-4 months, after which complete eradication was accomplished in all cases. Patients histologicaly diagnosed with low grade malignancy showed complete histological regression. In addition to that, after triple antibiotic therapy none of the patients presented with the disease transformation into another histological form. Discussion and Conclusion: The results of this study prooved high incidence in use of triple antibiotic therapy in treatment of patients who suffer from MALT lymphoma with confirmed H. pylori infection. Besides, it is very important to emphasise the fact that patients had no side-effects during polychemiotherapy which was used to treat all the patients regardless of their histological type and malignancy degree of MALT lymphoma.