Patients with Celiac Disease at Higher Risk for Lymphoma?

According to a new study, certain subgroups of patients with celiac disease are at a higher risk for lymphoproliferative disorders.

As per the results attained by Lori A. Leslie and colleagues from Columbia University in New York City, older patients who had developed celiac disease appeared more prone to coming down with lymphoproliferative disorder. They reported symptoms like abdominal pain and diarrhea appearing around the same period of time the diagnosis was made.

"It's important to differentiate between these subtypes because there are major differences in prognosis and treatment," Leslie said.

In order to come to their conclusions, Leslie and her fellow researchers conducted a retrospective study taking into account 1,281 patients treated for celiac disease. The time range for cases was 30 years, and 35 cases were identified with various sorts of for lymphoproliferative disorders.

To be able to compare the rate of occurrences in their case studies with those of the general population, researchers utilized the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Result (SEER) database.

They found a total of 29 cases of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and five cases of chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

In the non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma group, 11 were enteropathy associated T-cell lymphomas, four peripheral T-cell lymphomas, and 14 B-cell lymphomas.

"Patients diagnosed with celiac disease after age 50, who initially present with diarrhea and/or abdominal pain, are at increased risk and may need routine follow up and surveillance for the development of lymphoma," Leslie concluded