Association of Helicobacter pylori and childhood lymphoma

We aimed to estimate the frequency of association between non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) with abdominal, gastric, or intestinal involvement and Helicobacter pylori in childhood. Between February 2003 and June 2006, we evaluated 15 children with newly diagnosed NHL who were diagnosed and treated at the Pediatric Oncology Department of Hacettepe University. Patients who were given chemotherapy previously or who received H. pylori eradication therapy were excluded from the study. Routine procedures were done for staging. Pathologic diagnosis was made by examining the biopsy samples. The presence of H. pylori was confirmed by H. pylori IgG serology with urea breath test (UBT) in cooperated children. Endoscopic examination was also planned for patients with positive test results. Twelve male and 3 female patients, with a median age of 7 (range: 3 to 16), were evaluated. They had extensive abdominal, gastric, and/or intestinal involvement. Six had stage IV characteristics, whereas another 9 patients had stage III disease. Ten had high-grade B-cell lymphoma. Only 3 patients had H. pylori IgG and UBT positivity (20%). First patient had T-cell lymphoma and stage IV disease with involvement in stomach, mediastinum, peripheral lymph nodes, and bone marrow. The second one had anaplastic large cell lymphoma exclusively in abdominal lymph nodes. Last patient had Burkitt lymphoma and stage IV disease, with primary tumor localization in abdominal lymph nodes, liver, and kidneys. The H. pylori IgG and UBT were both positive in 3 patients on admission. We did not find any positive test results in the other 12 patients with intestinal, stomach, or abdominal disease. Preliminary results of our study suggest that H. pylori may not be the responsible agent for NHL involved the abdomen in childhood.