EARLY GASTRIC LYMPHOMA - A CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL STUDY OF 10 PATIENTS, LITERATURE-REVIEW, AND COMPARISON WITH EARLY GASTRIC ADENOCARCINOMA

BACKGROUND. Improved diagnostic techniques have increased early detect ion of gastric lymphoma as well as the early detection of adenocarcino ma. However, clinicopathologic features of early gastric lymphoma are presently undefined. METHODS. Clinicopathologic features of 10 patient s with early gastric lymphoma were compared with the same features of 180 patients with early gastric adenocarcinoma. In addition, 46 articl es were reviewed to evaluate clinicopathologic differences. RESULTS. E arly gastric lymphoma was found in 29.2% of the patients who underwent surgery for gastric lymphoma. Early gastric lymphoma was associated w ith lymph node involvement in 29.9% of the patients, superficial sprea ding tumors in 48.6%, and multifocal lesions in 40%. These rates are g reater than those in patients with adenocarcinomas (P < 0.05). The sur vival rate was identical in both groups. Early gastric lymphoma may de velop into large, multifocal tumors, accompanied by lymph node involve ment. CONCLUSIONS. Surgical treatment with a wide resection of the sto mach and extensive lymph node dissection is necessary for early gastri c lymphomas. (C) 1996 American Cancer Society.