What is the most common intestinal lymphoma?

• A. Large cell
• B. Small cell
• C. Medium cell
• D. T-cell lymphoma

Answer: (B)

The intestinal lymphomas most often come from B cells rather than T cells, because the gut is rich in mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue where B cells are continually activated and can undergo malignant transformation. Within the B-cell category, the small-cell histologic variant is the most commonly encountered in the intestine, making it the typical or expected answer in many exam contexts. T-cell lymphomas of the gut are less common overall, and large-cell or other size categories represent different, less frequent subtypes of intestinal B-cell lymphomas. So recognizing that B-cell lymphomas predominate in the gut, and that the small-cell form is the most frequently described intestinal lymphoma, explains why this option is best.