Objective: To determine whether the combination test of serum pepsinogen (PG) levels and Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) antibody was effective for predicting the incidence and histology of gastric neoplasms.
Methods: This study included asymptomatic Korean adults who underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy with blood tests for PG levels and H. pylori immunoglobulin G antibody test on the same day. Participants with extragastric malignancy, history of H. pylori eradication or gastric neoplasms, or recent antacid medication were excluded. Gastric atrophy was defined as a serum PG I/II ratio ≤3.0 and PG I ≤70 ng/mL. The participants were classified into four groups according to the presence (+) or absence (-) of gastric atrophy and H. pylori infection.
Results: Of the 3328 included participants, 17 were incidentally diagnosed as having either gastric adenoma or carcinoma. The incidence of gastric neoplasm was highest in the gastric atrophy (+)/H. pylori (-) group (4.17%; OR 25.8, P = 0.009), but the neoplasm exhibited the least advanced histology. The gastric atrophy (-)/H. pylori (-) group exhibited the lowest incidence of gastric neoplasm (0.17%) but the most advanced histology.
Conclusion: A combination of serum PG levels and H. pylori antibody test is useful for detecting gastric neoplasms based on the slow gastric carcinogenesis pathway progressing from gastric adenoma to Lauren's intestinal-type gastric cancer, but not for those with advanced histology such as Lauren's diffuse-type gastric cancer.
Keywords: Helicobacter pylori; atrophy; pepsinogen; screening; stomach neoplasm.
© 2014 Chinese Medical Association Shanghai Branch, Chinese Society of Gastroenterology, Renji Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine and Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.