Multiple Irregular and Large Ulcers - Biopsy nr 2

MALT lymphomas arise at sites that have acquired some MALT-type lymphoid tissue due to some other disease/disorder or infection. For some MALT lymphomas this underlying condition remains a mystery, while for others more is known about predisposing factors. For example, in the thyroid and salivary glands, MALT lymphomas can develop due to autoimmune inflammatory conditions known respectively as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and Sjogren’s syndrome. However, most is known about gastric MALT lymphoma, as this is the commonest site at which these lymphomas develop. In the stomach, the majority of these lymphomas are associated with infection by a bacterium called Helicobacter pylori This causes inflammation of the lining of the stomach which includes the development of MALT-type lymphoid tissue. Once the MALT-type tissue is acquired, there is continuous stimulation of the lymphocytes to replicate and increase in number as a result of the constant presence of bacteria (a normal immune reaction) However, in a small minority of people, this results in a mistake within the genetic material of a lymphoid cell and continuation of this faulty cell line leads to the development of a lymphoma