The treatment of gastric lymphoma continues to evolve, and the surgical resection of primary gastric lymphoma is debated. The aim of this study is to compare two strategies: surgical resection plus chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone.

The records and data of 38 patients who had been diagnosed with primary gastric diffuse large B-cell lymphoma(PG-DLBL) between January 1996 and December 2007 in our hospital were investigated retrospectively. They were divided into two groups (surgical resection plus chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone). Clinicopathological data and prognosis were compared between the two groups.

Of these 38 patients, 17 patients underwent surgical resection plus chemotherapy and 21 were given chemotherapy alone. The chemotherapy regimens were CHOP and CHOP-like in both groups. There were no significant difference between the two groups about the onset age, sex, tumor stage and tumor mass. The 5-year survival of patients who underwent surgical resection plus chemotherapy was 56% and that of those who underwent chemotherapy alone was 33%. No significant differences were found in bivariate analysis between the two groups(P=0.676). Complete release rate was higher in the surgical resection plus chemotherapy group(94.1%) than the chemotherapy alone group(81.0%)(P=0.233).

Surgical resection should not be the first-choice treatment for patients with primary gastric diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.