Multiple Lymphomatous Polyposis of the Gastrointestinal Tract: Report of Three Cases

In 1961, Cornes first introduced the term multiple lymphomatous polyposis(MLP), and since then, this very raredisease has been considered as a malignant lymphoma originating in the mantle zone of gastrointestinal lymphoidtissue. MLP presents with a 0.5-2.0cm sized polypoid tumor, which affects long segments of the alimentary tractand frequently invades the mesenteric lymph nodes. It often consists of a dominant mass rather than polyps. Wedescribe three cases of endoscopically proven multiple lymphomatous polyposis, and include a review of theliterature. In differentiating multiple lymphomatous polyposis and other types of multiple polyposis in thegastrointestinal tract, the following features are helpful : the smooth surface of polyps, which is similar to agem seen during a barium examination ; the typical appearance of a gastric submucosal tumor and hypertrophiedgastric mucosal folds in UGI; the presence of enlarged lymph nodes, as seen on abdominal CT scanning.