Over the last two decades there has been a broad paradigm shift in our understanding of gastric cancer (GC) and its premalignant states from gross histological models to increasingly precise molecular descriptions. In this review we reflect upon the historic approaches to describing premalignant lesions and GC, highlight the current molecular landscape and how this could inform future risk assessment prevention strategies.
Keywords: Atrophic gastritis; Correa cascade; Dysplasia; Gastric cancer; Helicobacter pylori; Intestinal metaplasia; Point of no return; Stem cells.