What Is Gastric Metaplasia?

Gastric intestinal metaplasia (GIM) is an intermediate precancerous gastric lesion in the gastric cancer cascade of chronic gastritis, atrophic gastritis

What causes gastric intestinal metaplasia?

Multiple risk factors have been associated with the development of gastric intestinal metaplasia interplay, including Helicobacter pylori infection and associated genomics, host genetic factors, environmental milieu, rheumatologic disorders, diet, and intestinal microbiota.

Is gastric metaplasia serious?

Intestinal metaplasia can be severe . The transformation of the cells of the gastric lining puts a person at a much higher risk of developing gastric cancer. While it is not possible to avoid some risk factors such as genetics, people can avoid other risk factors, including diet, H. pylori infection, and smoking.

Can metaplasia be reversed?

WHAT CAUSES IM AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT THAT IT IS REVERSIBLE ? Metaplasia is defined as a potentially reversible change from a fully differentiated cell type to another, which implies adaptation to environmental stimuli, and that embryological commitments can be reversed or erased under certain circumstances.

How long does it take for intestinal metaplasia to turn into cancer?

There is no treatment for GIM. GIM is asymptomatic. Time to develop cancer has been reported to be 4.6–7 years . ²³ , ²⁹ , ³⁰ A European guideline in 2019 recommends regular surveillance for early cancer as the main management for GIM. In Asia, screening for early gastric cancer remains a prevalent approach.

Is metaplasia benign or malignant?

When cells are faced with physiological or pathological stresses, they respond by adapting in any of several ways, one of which is metaplasia. It is a benign (i.e. non-cancerous) change that occurs as a response to change of milieu (physiological metaplasia) or chronic physical or chemical irritation.

How are precancerous cells in the stomach treated?

Treatment for high-grade dysplasia may include: endoscopic mucosal resection (removal of the area during an endoscopy) limited surgical resection (removal of the area along with a section of healthy tissue)

What is metaplasia and why does it occur?

Metaplasia is a process whereby one type of mature tissue is replaced by another type of mature tissue not indigenous to that organ or tissue. Metaplastic transformation likely represents a reactive or reparative response to some chronic injury or irritation.

What is an example of metaplasia?

Metaplasia is the conversion of one adult tissue type into another, related and more durable, tissue type. The most prevalent examples are conversion of fibrous tissue into bone, or columnar mucosal epithelium into stratified squamous epithelium .

How is intestinal metaplasia diagnosed?

GIM is usually diagnosed by upper endoscopy with biopsy , and histologic scoring systems have been developed to risk-stratify patients at highest risk for progression to GC. Several recent endoscopic imaging modalities may improve the optical detection of GIM and early GC.

How do you treat intestinal metaplasia naturally?

Some dietary practices are believed to help in the prevention and treatment of intestinal metaplasia. These include eating lots of plant-based foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables because they are full of antioxidants. Antioxidants include vitamin C, vitamin E, flavonoids, carotenoids, and phenols.

What is the difference between dysplasia and metaplasia?

Dysplasia is the presence of abnormal cells within your tissue or one of your organs. Metaplasia is the conversion of one type of cell to another . Any of your normal cells may become cancer cells. Before cancer cells form in your body’s tissues, they go through abnormal changes called hyperplasia and dysplasia.

Is esophageal metaplasia reversible?

Metaplasia is a potentially reversible condition , and partial regression of Barrett’s metaplasia has been documented with effective medical or surgical therapy for GERD.

What are the stages of intestinal metaplasia?

The development of gastric adenocarcinoma of the intestinal type is thought to progress sequentially through four stages: nonatrophic gastritis, multifocal atrophic gastritis, IM, and dysplasia.

What percentage of intestinal metaplasia becomes cancer?

A total of 1055 patients were identified with GIM; 6 ( 0.6 %) developed either dysplasia or gastric cancer.

What is the cure rate for stomach cancer?

If the cancer is diagnosed and treated before it has spread outside the stomach, the 5-year survival rate is 70% . If the cancer has spread to surrounding tissues or organs and/or the regional lymph nodes, the 5-year survival rate is 32%.