Cancer, Lymphoma and Celiac Disease

Photo: CC--GDS Infographics

Enteropathy-associated T cell lymphoma (EATL) is a gut cancer that often ends in death. Currently, doctors have very little idea what factors might help patients survive. The way in which clinical presentation, pathological features and therapies influence EATL outcome was the subject of a recent study by a team of researchers.

Photo: CC--National Eye Institute

Currently, there is no cure for T-cell lymphoma, and no promising treatment exists for people who suffer from this condition. However, results of a new study suggest that new treatments for T-cell lymphoma my be on the horizon.

Photo: CC--Paul Falardeau

With all the problems that go along with celiac disease, it can be hard to see any benefits to having the disease. However, it would seem that such benefits do exist: a recent study in Sweden shows that women suffering from celiac disease are actually at a decreased risk of developing breast, endometrial and ovarian cancer.

Photo: CC--greencolander

A number of studies have found higher rates of lymphoma in people with celiac disease. However, few studies make any distinction between lymphoproliferative disorders (LPDs). A team of researchers recently investigated rates of various lymphoproliferative disorders in patients with celiac disease.

Photo: CC-Lisa Brewster

A number of small studies have shown a connection between celiac disease and various gastrointestinal (GI) cancers, but the results haven't been corroborated by larger studies, or by blood and biopsy analysis of large populations. That means that researchers just haven't been able to say with certainty what the results of those smaller studies might mean about cancer risks for the larger population.

New AP&T study on celiac disease and risk of colorectal cancer.

Celiac disease is associated with an increased risk of lymphoma and small bowel malignancy. Colorectal cancer is the most common gastrointestinal cancers in the United States, but most studies have not found no higher rates of colorectal cancer for people with celiac disease.

According to this study 16% of those with lymphocytic duodenosis have celiac disease.

A team of researchers recently conducted a prospective study the etiology of lymphocytic duodenosis. Among their findings are that sixteen percent of patients with lymphocytic duodenosis have celiac disease.

New study on colorectal neoplasia and celiac disease

People with celiac disease have higher risk for developing lymphoma and small bowel malignancy, though most studies have found no higher risk of colorectal cancer.

A team of researchers recently set out to map the IL-15–driven survival pathway in human IELs, and to determine whether IL-15 triggered pathway in human intraepithelial lymphocytes represents a possible new target in type II refractory celiac disease and enteropathy-associated T cell lymphoma.

Human Pathology

A research team recently concluded a clinicopathologic and array comparative genomic hybridization study on enteropathy-associated T-cell lymphoma.

A team of clinicians recently described a case of immune modulation by non-Hodgkin lymphoma in a patient with two primary intestinal T-Cell lymphomas and long-standing celiac disease.

Enteropathy associated T-cell lymphoma (EATL)  is a rare type of peripheral T-cell lymphoma that is commonly associated with celiac disease.  A group at The Newcastle  Lymphoma Group in the  United Kingdom, evaluated data from newly diagnosed patients in Northern England and Scotland between 1994 and 1998, in search of increased overall survival (OS) rates and progression free survival (PFS) rates for EATL patients.

People with silent celiac disease, those who test positive for celiac disease antibodies, yet show no clinical signs of the disease itself, do not face a higher risk for developing malignant cancers, according to results of a recent Finnish study.

A microscopic compound commonly found in plant-based foods reduces inflammation and prevents the formation of cancerous lesions in the colon. The tiny molecule, called quercetin, is easily absorbed when people eat fruits and vegetables, and so requires no specialized supplements or drugs.

An extensive recent survey of the Swedish cancer registry reveals that people with celiac disease face a 5-fold increased risk of developing non-Hodgkin lymphoma, but that the risk has decreased by more than 50% over the last 40 years.

Refractory celiac disease is a serious condition that occurs when symptoms and intestinal damage continue even when the patient consumes a gluten-free diet.

For decades now, doctors have known that people with celiac disease face a significantly greater risk of developing non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Recently though, doctors discovered that siblings of celiac patients also face an increased risk of developing NHL.

One of the important ways doctors distinguish between the two types of refractory celiac disease is by looking at differences in intra-epithelial T lymphocytes (IELs) in intestinal biopsies.

One of the particularly aggressive and deadly types of cancer associated with celiac disease in adults is known as Enteropathy-associated T-cell lymphoma (EATL), which is a T-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma that develops in the small bowel. So, if you haven’t heard of EATLs, you should know that while current estimates indicate that even though EATLs are rare overall, they are one of the most common causes of death in people with celiac disease.

A couple of research articles by other researchers are discussed, with emphasis on the significance to both the celiac and paraprotein patient populations. A proposal is made that celiac patients be routinely tested for paraproteinemia, and patients with pararproteinemia also be tested for celiac disease. In addition there is a call for more intensified research into this link between celiac disease and paraproteinemia.