• Anastasios Stathis, Francesco Bertoni, and Emanuele Zucca.
• Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland - IOSI, Ospedale San Giovanni, CH-6500 Bellinzona, Switzerland.
• Expert Opin Pharmacother. 2010 Sep 1; 11 (13): 2141-52.

Importance Of The FieldGastric marginal zone lymphomas of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT type) represent approximately half of all cases of lymphomas arising in the stomach. They have been strongly associated with chronic Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) gastritis. Treatment aimed at eradicating this infection results in lymphoma remissions in the majority of patients (approximately 80%) and this represents a unique case of anticancer treatment based on the eradication of the causing factor.Areas Covered In This ReviewThe effects of H. pylori eradication in suppressing the growth of this lymphoma with particular emphasis on the long-term disease control results are presented in this review. Trials of different treatment modalities for patients not responding to antibiotics are also covered.What The Reader Will GainUnderstanding of the effects of H. pylori eradication on suppressing the growth of gastric MALT lymphoma. Readers will learn how to distinguish between clinical, histological and molecular remission of the lymphoma and will learn alternative treatments for patients with H. pylori-negative disease and for cases not responding to eradication.Take Home MessageGastric MALT lymphoma has an indolent course and most patients can achieve durable disease control after only anti-H. pylori therapy. For patients not responding to antibiotics, randomized trials are needed to define the best treatment modality.

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