Low Grade MALToma and Early Cancer of the Stomach in a Patient with Helicobacter pylori Infection: A Case Report.

A causal relationship has been suggested between Helicobacter pylori infection and gastric malignancy, including both gastric cancer and low grade lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALToma). We describe a rare case of simultaneous occurrence of low grade MALToma and early cancer of the stomach in a 72-year-old woman. In this patient, low grade MALToma not only had preceded gastric cancer by 5 years, but had also disappeared, and subsequently reappeared coexisting with early cancer of the stomach and Helicobacter pylori infection. Eradication therapy for Helicobacter pylori was performed immediately prior to subtotal gastrectomy for early gastric cancer of the pyloric area. Thereafter, regression of MALToma was observed. These results, taken together with a previously reported case of low grade MALToma, suggest that low grade MALToma of the stomach may fluctuate, at least in the initial stages, even in the presence of constant Helicobacter pylori infection.