Gastric lymphoma: a clinicopathologic reappraisal

Histologic material from 42 cases diagnosed as gastric lymphoma at Hartford Hospital was reviewed, confirming the diagnosis in 37. Three cases of pseudolymphoma were found. The incidence of gastric lymphoma has increased steadily over the past 50 years: 35 percent of cases occurred during the past decade. Most patients with gastric lymphoma are in the seventh or eighth decade of life. Resection offered the best chance for long-term survival, either alone or with radiation therapy. Nodal status was correlated with length of survival of survival; 60 percent of patients with negative nodes survived 5 years or more. Cases were classified according to the Rappaport classification and the Working Formulation of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphomas. The formulation was more useful than the Rappaport classification in assessing prognosis in various types of lymphoma and better reflects our current understanding of neoplasms of the lymphoid system.