RESUMO
PURPOSE: The incidence of primary gastric lymphoma is a relatively rare and is 2~5% of all gastric malignant lesion. Because of its rarity, there are few report in Korea. Therefore, to elucidste the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of primary gastric lymphoma and to investigate MALT(Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue) lymphoma, we studied in primary gastric lymphoma. MATERIALS & METHODS: we evaluated retrospectively primary gastric lymphoma patients who underwent gastric resection from Jan. 1990 to Dec. 1994 in KCCH. RESULTS: There were 20 patients with primary gastric lymphoma and the incidence is 0.54% of all gastric malignant lesion. Abdominal pain, primarily epigastric, was the most common presenting complaint and the most common location was the distal third of the stomach. The overall 5-year survival rate was 71%. Factor significantly influencing 5-year survival rate was the serosal invasion. Age, gender, tumor size, histologic grade, nodal status and Ann-Arbor staging system did not influence survival. CONCLUSION: So,we suggest that the depth of invasion should be included in staging system of gastric lymphoma because Ann Arbor staging system might be inadequate when applied to primary gastric lymphoma. Also, we suggest that the multicenter study should be performed to elucidate the characteristics of Korean gastric lymphoma because of its low incidence.