Serum chromogranin A as a screening test for gastric enterochromaffin‐like cell hyperplasia during acid‐suppressive therapy

Abstract

During long-term gastric acid inhibition, serum CgA levels reflect the presence and severity of fundic ECL cell hyperplasia. Serum CgA is therefore a useful screening test for gastric ECL cell proliferative changes within this context.

Gastric histology in children treated with proton pump inhibitors long term, with emphasis on enterochromaffin cell-like hyperplasia

“…Lesser elevations of CgA are present in H 2 RA-treated patients, with the lowest levels detected in normal subjects. 23 Synaptophysin is also a marker for endocrine cells. It stains small, synaptic-type cytoplasmic vesicles -these can be visualised only ultrastructurally, but can be observed with light microscopy using IHC which diffusely stains the cytoplasm of ECL cells.…”

A comparison between three commercial kits for chromogranin A measurements

“…There are three major causes for non-tumour-associated increases of plasma CgA, namely decreased renal function (Hsiao et al 1990, Stridsberg & Husebye 1997, type A gastritis (Borch et al 1997) and treatment with PPIs (Sanduleanu et al 2001). It is known that all these causes can give rise to substantial increases in CgA.…”

Factors associated with elevated serum chromogranin A levels in patients with autoimmune gastritis

“…The reduction and/or absence of gastric parietal cell mass causes replacement of the parietal cell mass by atrophic mucosa. Vitamin B 12 metabolism is impaired and iron deficiency anemia can also occur in the final stages of this disease (1). Autoimmune gastritis is also a risk factor for gastric neuroendocrine tumors (carcinoids) and gastric cancer development (2).…”

“…Chromogranin A (CgA) is a glycoprotein that is found in neuroendocrine cells and it is an important tool in the determination of neuroendocrine tumors (9). There is a positive association between serum CgA levels and the size of enterochromaffin-like (ECL) cell masses in patients with AIG, gastrinoma, and it is also found to be high in patients who take long-term proton pump inhibitors (10)(11)(12). Serum CgA levels reflect the degree of proliferative changes in gastric ECL cells and ECL cell mass is an important determinant for CgA elevation in hypergastrinemic states (5,11,13).…”