A STUDY OF GASTRIC MUCOSA AND ENDOSCOPIC FOLLOW-UP EXAMINATION IN PATIENTS WITH GASTRIC ADENOMA

-HIGH RISK OF GASTRIC CANCER-

Abstract

To assess the state of the gastric mucosa in patients with gastric adenoma, determina tion of gastric acid secretion, serum gastrin levels, and serum pepsinogen I (PGI) levels were investigated in 54 patients with gastric adenoma and 93 controls (more than 60 years) who had no gastric lesion. Gastric acid secretion and serum PGI levels were significantly lower in the patients with gastric adenoma than in controls . As to serum gastrin levels, there was no significant difference between the two groups. Moreover, a follow-up study was endoscopically performed from 4 months to 128 months (mean 41 months) in 61 patients with gastric adenoma. Gastric cancer developed in 8 patients and gastric adenoma in 1 patient at the another region of the stomach. These results indicate the high risk of development of gastric cancer of the intestinal type in patients with gastric adenoma. In addition, based on the study of serum PGI levels in those with gastric adenoma, it is suggested that a low serum PGI level is a predictive factor of gastric cancer as well as a subclinical marker of atrophic gastritis.