Evaluation of some histopathological findings of gastric mucosa in relation to histogenesis of gastric carcinoma

Gastric cancer is the second most common cancer and the second cause of death due to cancer worldwide. Gastric adenocarcinoma is the most common fatal cancer in Iran and the number of patients with diagnosis of gastric cancer is increasing every year. The aim of this study was to compare the histological findings of the biopsies of non cancerous gastric mucosa of patients with gastric cancer and biopsies of gastric mucosa of dyspeptic patients without gastric cancer. In this case control study, the gastric biopsies of the non neoplastic area of 54 patients with gastric adenocarcinoma and 54 gastric biopsies of dyspeptic patients without gastric cancer were reviewed by two pathologists at an Institute of cancer in Tehran, without knowing from which group the specimens were coming. The investigated variables were atrophic gastritis, dysplasia, intestinal metaplasia and lymphatic nodules. There was no statistically significant difference regarding eosinophilic infiltration, but in patients with gastric carcinoma there were significant differences comparing to the patients without neoplasia in atrophic gastritis (76% and 42%, respectively; p=0.001), dysplasia (23% and 9%, respectively; p=0.0001), intestinal metaplasia (22% and 5%, respectively; p=0.01), and lymphatic nodules (98% and 39%, respectively; p=0.0001). Intestinal metaplasia, dysplasia and even atrophic gastritis can be considered as risk factors for gastric carcinoma. Therefore, in biopsied patients with these findings, a regular follow up is necessary.