Primary gastric plasmacytoma at an early stage: unremarkable effect of eradication of Helicobacter pylori.

Primary gastric plasmacytoma is a relatively rare disease, and manyof the cases are not detected until the advanced stage. In nearly all cases, surgical treatment and/or chemotherapy or irradiation has been performed. However, the effectiveness of Helicobacter pylori (Hp) eradication of the disease at the early stage, with invasion confined to the submucosal layer, has been recently reported (1, 2). Here, we report a rare case of early stage gastric plasmacytoma, with unremarkable effect of Hp eradication. A 57-year-old man was examined by medical check, and an upper gastrointestinal series revealed a 2-cm polypoid mass on the lesser curvature of the gastric corpus. He was referred to Sumitomo Hospital for further examination on June 12, 2001. He had no symptoms. His past and familial histories were unremarkable. On physical examination, neither an abdominal mass nor peripheral lymphadenopathy was detected. No abnormalities were found in laboratory examinations. Serum immunoglobulins, interleukin-6 and soluble