Current pathologic diagnosis and management of Helicobacter pylori-associated gastritis and gastric marginal zone lymphoma with a case report

Helicobacter pylori (H.pylori) associated gastritis is one of the most common infectious diseases in China and worldwide.Gastric marginal zone lymphoma,or mucosa associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma is a rare neoplasm associated with H.pylori infection and the first neoplastic disease curable by antibiotics therapy alone.The pathologic diagnosis of gastric MALT lymphoma can be reached by histologic examination,immunohistochemical staining,and B-cell clonality studies.Eradication against H.pylori is the choice of therapy for early stage gastric MALT lymphoma.Refractory,localized disease may be treated with low-dose irradiation therapy with high rates of responding and long-term survival.Systemic chemotherapy is recommended for advanced stage gastric MALT lymphoma or high-grade transformed large B-cell lymphoma.A recent case with recurrent chronic active gastritis and gastric MALT lymphoma after H.pylori eradication therapy was reported.Recent advances in the studies of pathologic diagnosis and therapy of the disease were reviewed. Key words: Mucosa associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma;  Helicobacter pylori;  Diagnosis; Therapy