Pathogenesis of Gastrointestinal Follicular Lymphomas: Consideration Based on Histopathology and Endoscopic Findings

Gastrointestinal (GI) follicular lymphoma (FL) is the most frequently diagnosed extranodal FL; however, its pathogenesis is debatable. We investigated the distribution, endoscopic, and histopathologic findings of 366 GI FL samples obtained from 298 patients. FLs were most frequently observed in the small intestine (71%), including the duodenum (52%), but were also commonly found in the stomach (15%) and colon (12%). The proportion of granular lesions in the duodenum, terminal ileum, colon, and stomach was 74%, 39%, 24%, and 0%, respectively. Submucosal or ulcerated tumors were frequently observed in the stomach (48%) and colon (52%). Most GI FL showed grade 1 to 2 histology (89%) as well as CD10 + (93%) and BCL2 + (98%) positivity. There were no significant differences in the endoscopic or histologic findings between primary and secondary GI FLs. As known, the mucosa of the small intestine is thin and villous, while the mucosa of the stomach and colon is thicker and has a smooth surface. Granular lesions corresponding to very small FL were detected in the former but rarely in the latter. Nine (7%) patients with primary GI FL developed histologic transformation to diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (n=8) or high-grade B-cell lymphoma (n=1) 10 months to 14 years after the diagnosis of FL. Two patients died of lymphoma. In conclusion, the incidence and endoscopic findings differed, but the histopathology was similar in FLs in each site. These differences might be attributed to variations in each GI site's mucosal structure and the neoplastic follicles' size. Due to its characteristic structure, very small classic FLs might be detectable mainly in the small intestine.