[Malignant lymphoma and Helicobacter pylori infection]

Lymphoid tissue is acquired in the stomach in response to antigenic stimulation, so called mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue(MALT). In 1983, Isaacson had named a type of malignant B-cell lymphoma "MALT lymphoma" which grow in the marginal zone of lymphoid foliclies in the gastric mucosa. MALT lymphoma has lately attracted attention because of the relation of Helicobacter pylori(H. pylori). There are several studies that H. pylori can be detected in more than 90% of patients with MALT lymphoma and cure of H. pylori infection is followed by a complete regression of these tumors in most patient. This paper reviews the current knowledge about MALT lymphoma, and immunological and molecular aspects in the pathogenesis of the disease.