Two Cases of Russell Body Gastritis Treated by Helicobacter pylori Eradication

Russell body gastritis was first defined in 1998, but not many cases have been reported since then. The exact causes and process of this condition are unknown yet; however, considering the reported cases, it has been highly suggested to have correlation with Helicobacter pylori infection. Russell body gastritis has a non-specific clinical presentation of gastritis such as gastric mucosal edema in the macroscopic view. It can be mistaken as xanthoma, signet ring cell carcinoma, or a malignant lymphoma including mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma and plasmocytoma. Russell body gastritis features polyclonal immunoglobulin and is differentiated from Mott cancer, of which immune globulin has monoclonal aspect. Authors report here two cases of Russell body gastritis with examined endoscopic findings as well as a review of related literature on the association of all reported cases of Russell body gastritis with H. pylori infection.

A Case of Russell Body Gastritis Associated with Helicobacter pylori Infection / 대한소화기내시경학회지

Russell body gastritis is a very rare disease with an uncertain cause. The disease is often misdiagnosed as xanthoma, signet ring cell carcinoma, MALT lymphoma and plasmacytoma. Russell body gastritis is characterized by the polyclonic nature of immunoglobulin and usually tests positive to the kappa and lambda light chains. It is different from a Mott cell tumor, which shows monoclonal nature of immunoglobulin. Until now, few cases have been reported and most were associated with a Helicobacter pylori infection. We encountered a case of Russell body gastritis associated with a Helicobacter pylori infection, which showed complete improvement after eradicating the Helicobacter pylori infection. We report this case with review of the relevant literature.