REACTIVE LYMPHOID HYPERPLASIA OF THE STOMACH

Abstract

Surgically excised [human] stomachs were re-examined histopathologically, and 18 cases were placed in the category of reactive lymphoid hyperplasia (RLH). The distribution and the classes of infiltrating Ig bearing cells were examined in RLH lesions together with 10 histopathologically determined malignant lymphomas (ML) of the stomach and the control stomachs. In 11 cases of RLH and 1 case of ML, many lymphoid cells bearing different classes of Ig were present in those lesions in an intermingled way (polyspecific group). Lymphoid cells in 3 RLH cases and 2 ML cases bore only a single monospecific Ig (monospecific group). In other cases, the number of Ig bearing cells were not sufficient to reach any clear conclusions (undetermined group). Apparently regardless of the histopathological diagnosis, the monospecific group might belong to the category of B cell type neoplasm and the polyspecific group in the category of true reactive process. The possible histopathological criteria for differentiation of the reactive process and lymphoid neoplasm of the stomach were re-checked, and the importance of immunohistochemical study on these cases was stressed.