Endoscopic Appearances with a High Probability of Positive Biopsy in Follow-up Endoscopy of Gastric Mucosa-associated Lymphoid Tissue Lymphoma

Abstract

Background/Aims: Remission of gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma is difficult due to pleomorphic and multifocal endoscopic findings. We investigated the relationship between endoscopic appearances and histological findings of patients followed up after curative treatment for the tumor. We reviewed the follow-up endoscopic findings at least 2 months after Helicobacter pylori eradication or chemoradiotherapy. Target biopsy sites were categorized according to their endoscopic appearance. Results:The mean follow-up period was 17.6 months; 76 endoscopies and 238 biopsies were performed. Positive biopsies were observed in 50 cases (21.0%). Tumor positivity was high in ulcerated lesions (2/3, 66.7%), erosion (1/5, 20.0%), discoloration (32/89, 36.0%), mucosal thickening (10/41, 24.4%) and ulcer scars (3/21, 14.3%). Conversely, lesions appearing normal showed low positivity (1/68, 1.5%) and was significantly lower compared with the aforementioned lesions (P＜0.001).