Young Patient with X-linked Agammaglobulinemia Presents with Advanced Gastric Cancer and Extensive Atrophic Gastritis

Intern Med. 2024 May 16. doi: 10.2169/internalmedicine.3236-23. Online ahead of print.

Abstract

X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA) is associated with an increased risk of gastrointestinal cancers including gastric cancer (GC). We herein report the case of a 30-year-old male patient with XLA who developed GC and extensive atrophic gastritis. He tested positive in the urea breath test, thus indicating the presence of Helicobacter pylori. Distal gastrectomy and chemotherapy were performed without any complications; however, the died two years after this diagnosis. Immunoglobulin deficiency makes these patients susceptible to progressive atrophic gastritis and the associated risk of GC. Therefore, patients with XLA are advised to undergo an evaluation for Helicobacter pylori infection as well as monitoring for GC.

Keywords: H. pylori infection; X-linked agammaglobulinemia; atrophic gastritis; gastric cancer.