Prevalence of Gastric Epithelial Tumors in <i>Helicobacter pylori</i>-uninfected Individuals Undergoing a Medical Checkup

Abstract

Objective This study investigated the prevalence of gastric epithelial tumor in Helicobacter pyloriuninfected subjects who underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) as part of an annual checkup. Methods A total of 20,540 EGD examinations of H. pylori-uninfected individuals (12,917 men, 7,623 women; mean age 51.5±9.2 years old) were performed between April 2016 and March 2023. The prevalence of gastric epithelial tumor discovery and the size and location of each lesion type were analyzed. Results According to 20,540 examinations, 61 gastric epithelial tumors were endoscopically and histologically diagnosed in 58 of the subjects, with a prevalence rate of 0.28%. These tumors included signet-ring carcinoma (n=10, 0.05%), gastric adenocarcinoma of fundic-gland type (n=10, 0.05%), intestinal-type welldifferentiated adenocarcinoma (n=2, 0.01%), and raspberry-type gastric foveolar tumors (n=36, 0.18%). One subject had two intestinal-type well-differentiated adenocarcinomas, and two each had two raspberry-type gastric foveolar tumors. The mean sizes of the signet-ring carcinomas, gastric adenocarcinoma of fundicgland type, intestinal-type well-differentiated adenocarcinomas, and raspberry-type gastric foveolar tumors were 6.4, 4.7, 5.0, and 3.4 mm, respectively. Each lesion was located at a specific site in the stomach characteristic of its type. ConclusionIn the present H. pylori-uninfected subjects, the prevalence of gastric epithelial tumors found on an EGD examination was 0.28%. Endoscopic examination should be performed in H. pylori-uninfected individuals to detect such tumors in characteristic locations.