Background/aims: Celiac disease is an abnormal T cell-mediated immune response against dietary gluten in genetically predisposed individuals. The aim of our prospective study was to evaluate the frequency of Celiac disease in patients with lymphoma and to determine the usefulness of the anti-gliadin and anti-endomysial antibodies (EMA) for diagnosis of Celiac disease in this patient group.
Methods: We studied 119 patients with previously or newly diagnosed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and 60 patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma who presented at the hematology and medical oncology divisions of Dicle University Hospital in Turkey between December 2002 and January 2006. Serological screening for Celiac disease was performed in all patients by searching for serum anti-gliadin immunoglobulin A and immunoglobulin G, and EMA immunoglobulin A and immunoglobulin G.
Results: In the Hodgkin's lymphoma group, anti-gliadin immunoglobulin A was detected in 9 (15%) patients (3 male, 6 female), and antigliadin immunoglobulin G was detected in 21 (35%) patients (15 male, 6 female). In the non-Hodgkin's lymphoma group, antigliadin immunoglobulin A was detected in 6 (5%) patients (2 M male 4 female), and anti-gliadin immunoglobulin G was detected in 30 (25.2%) patients (18 male, 12 female). EMA immunoglobulin A and immunoglobulin G were not detected in the Hodgkin's lymphoma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma groups.
Conclusions: Our report is the first to describe the frequency of Celiac disease in patients with lymphoma in the southeast region of Turkey. In our study, there was no evidence that Celiac disease is a pre-malignant condition for lymphoma. Serological screening for Celiac disease in lymphoma patients does not seem to be necessary.