MALT gastric lymphomas

Introduction. - The stomach is the most common site involved in primary gastrointestinal lymphoma. Gastric lymphoma originates from the mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue so called MALT. It comprises a group of distinctive clinicopathological entities which are important to consider for clinical management. Current knowledge and key points. - In recent years, new diagnostic tools and new treatment strategies have improved the overall prognosis. One of the most exciting recent discoveries is the hypothesis that an infection by a bacterium, Helicobacter pylori has a decisive role in gastric lymphoma. Future prospects and projects. - Recent advances, essentially due to molecular biology and cytogenetic studies may emerge with the understanding of pathogenesis and new prognostic factors of these different types of gastric lymphomas. It is the aim of our oncoming studies together with the evaluation of the new therapeutic options such as radiotherapy and monoclonal antibodies in prospective studies. (C) 2004 Elsevier SAS. Tous droits reserves.