[Pathological features of early gastric cancer and its background mucosa after eradication of Helicobacter pylori and their implications for biopsy diagnosis]

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the clinicopathological changes of early gastric cancer, especially its background mucosa, after the eradication of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), and to investigate the causes of underdiagnosis in preoperative biopsy pathology. Methods: Ninety cases of early gastric cancer after H. pylori eradication and 120 cases of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) specimens without H. pylori eradication and their corresponding biopsy specimens were collected from Beijing Friendship Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University during 2016-2021. The clinicopathological data of the patients were analyzed, and the histopathological characteristics and immunophenotypic results compared. Results: Compared with the early gastric cancer without H. pylori eradication history, the histopathological type of early gastric cancer after H. pylori eradication was differentiated adenocarcinoma, with staggered distribution of cancerous and non-cancerous epithelium in the tumor area. The morphologic characteristics of gastric mucosa in the background of early gastric cancer after H. pylori eradication, were distinctive, including widening of the opening of enterosylated glandular ducts, serrated change of luminal margin, eosinophilic and microvesicular cytoplasm of enterosylated epithelium. Low-grade atypia existed in gastric cancer epithelial cells after sterilization, which might lead to underdiagnosis or missed diagnosis in biopsy pathology. Conclusions: Early gastric cancer and its background mucosa after H. pylori eradication have unique morphological characteristics, which can be used as a clue for pathological diagnosis, improve the accuracy of biopsy pathology and reduce the underdiagnosis.