Learn about gastric lymphoma

Gastric lymphoma is a very serious disease that can have extremely adverse effects on people's bodies and even directly endanger their lives. Gastric lymphoma usually has five types: ulcerative, infiltrative, nodular, polyp and mixed. It is a part of systemic malignant lymphoma, originating from the submucosal lymphoid tissue and is called gastric lymphoma. For the sake of their own health, people need to have a certain understanding of this disease so that they can better judge the symptoms and understand the treatment methods. When symptoms are found, they need to cooperate with the doctor's treatment to restore health as soon as possible.

1. Gastric Lymphoma

Gastric malignant lymphoma refers to a malignant tumor that originates in the stomach and the submucosal lymphoid tissue, and may also be a part of systemic malignant lymphoma. The imaging diagnosis of Hodgkin's disease and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is different, but it is difficult to distinguish between the two. Common clinical manifestations include upper abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, anorexia, upper gastrointestinal bleeding and palpable masses in the upper abdomen. Secondary gastric lymphoma may cause systemic symptoms such as fever, weight loss, and enlarged liver and spleen.

2. Etiology and Pathology

Gastric malignant lymphoma refers to a malignant tumor that originates in the stomach and the submucosal lymphoid tissue, and may also be a part of systemic malignant lymphoma. The imaging diagnosis of Hodgkin's disease and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is different, but it is difficult to distinguish between the two.

3. Clinical manifestations

Common clinical manifestations include upper abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, anorexia, upper gastrointestinal bleeding and palpable masses in the upper abdomen. Secondary gastric lymphoma may cause systemic symptoms such as fever, weight loss, and enlarged liver and spleen.

4. Morphological characteristics

(1) Ulcerative type: This is the most common type. This type is sometimes difficult to distinguish from ulcerative gastric cancer. Lymphoma can present as multiple ulcers, but gastric cancer usually presents as a single ulcer. Ulcers caused by lymphoma are relatively superficial, ranging from a few centimeters to more than ten centimeters in diameter. The bottom of the ulcer is uneven and may be covered with gray-yellow necrotic material. The edges are raised and hard, and the surrounding folds are thickened and coarsened in a radial pattern.

(2) Infiltrative type: Similar to scirrhous gastric cancer, the gastric wall shows localized or diffuse infiltration and hypertrophy. The folds become coarse and raised, the gastric area becomes larger and granular, the mucosa and submucosa are extremely thickened and become grayish white, the muscular layer is often infiltrated, separated, or even destroyed, and the subserosa is often involved.

(3) Nodular type: There are many scattered small nodules in the gastric mucosa, with a diameter of half a centimeter to several centimeters. The mucosal surface usually has superficial or deeper ulcers. The gastric mucosal folds between the nodules are often thickened. The nodules are located in the mucosa and submucosa, often extending to the serosal surface, and are grayish white with unclear boundaries, thickening, and even forming huge folds.

(4) Polypoid type: less common. A localized mass forms under the gastric mucosa and protrudes into the gastric cavity in a polyp-like or mushroom-like shape. Some are flat disc-shaped. The lesion is soft in texture. Ulcers often form on the mucosa.

(5) Mixed type: In one case specimen, 2 to 3 types of lesions mentioned above exist at the same time.