Helicobacter pylori eradication in gastric diffuse large B cell lymphoma

Diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) of the stomach is a heterogenous disease. There are tumors without histological evidence of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma, which are classified as pure or de novo DLBCL and those with evidence of MALT, which are classified as DLBCL (MALT). The association between Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) and gastric MALT lymphoma and remission with H. pylori eradication was shown in the 1990s. In recent years, scientists from Taiwan and others have shown that high-grade gastric lymphomas may be dependent on H. pylori and eradication of this microorganism is effective in these cases. This entity is biologically distinct from H. pylori (-) cases and has a better clinical outcome. There are sufficient data about the complete remission in some of these cases with brief treatment with antibiotics. With this strategy, it is possible to save some of these cases from the harmful effects of standard chemotherapy. It is time to treat these cases with H. pylori eradication. However, strict histopathological follow-up is crucial and histopathological response must be evaluated according to the scoring system proposed by Groupe d’Etude des Lymphomes de l’Adulte. If there is no sufficient response, chemotherapy must be given immediately. These results suggest that H. pylori dependency and high-grade transformation in gastric MALT lymphomas are distinct events.