MALT lymphoma of the colon: a clinicopathological review

Extranodal marginal zone lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT lymphoma) occurs in approximately 9% of non-Hodgkin B cell lymphoma. However, it occurs only rarely within the colon. The presentation is often asymptomatic, and can have multiple endoscopic appearances, including a single or multinodular polypoid lesion. Furthermore, small biopsies can make histological evaluation challenging. The 2016 WHO classification update includes many molecular features of entities and expands the differential diagnosis of lymphoid lesions of the colon. In addition to immunohistochemistry, molecular methods may be tempting to use for small difficult cases. Furthermore, treatment approaches are varied for this entity, and not well studied. Therefore, an updated review on MALT lymphoma of the colon is needed.