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Bulletin of the World Health Organization logoLink to Bulletin of the World Health Organization
. 1976;54(6):615–624.

Alpha-chain disease and related small-intestinal lymphoma: a Memorandum*

PMCID: PMC2366593  PMID: 829415

Abstract

Primary intestinal lymphomas are remarkably frequent in the Mediterranean region and South-West Asia. They are usually found in young persons from the lower socio-economic strata of the population. These conditions sometimes present a premalignant phase characterized by plasmacytic infiltration of the small intestine. It has been reported that early treatment of cases with antibiotics is followed by complete remission, suggesting that some environmental factors may be responsible for the disease. Some patients have an abnormal alpha-chain protein in their serum. This Memorandum reviews the present knowledge of the clinical, immunological, epidemiological, and therapeutic aspects of this condition.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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