Klin Onkol 2002; 15(3): 86-92.
Summary: Special biology of primary gastrointestinal tract lymphoma offers to use different treatment strategy as compared to primary nodal disease. What is especially fascinating is the effect of antibiotic therapy of Helicobacter pylori infection that may lead to complete regression of primary gastric lymphoma in localized stages without any further therapy. Locoregional therapeutic procedures may be unusually successful in primary gastrointestinal tract lymphomas. Radical resection as the only therapy may lead to long-lasting remissions of the tumour disease even though stomach conserving procedures currently have replaced surgery in many institutions. Modern radiotherapy reaches great success in many cases of primary gastrointestinal tract lymphoma even as the only therapy again. Chemotherapy is the most effective procedure in high grade lymphomas. Some cases may be treated by different therapies and we are unable to say today what kind of treatment should be prefered. When treating the patient for disease with highly unfavourable prognosis, combined modality therapy is prefered, sometimes using high dose chemotherapy with stem cell rescue.
