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Isakov V. Autoimmune gastritis studies and gastric cancer: True renaissance or bibliometric illusion. World J Gastroenterol 2024; 30:3783-3790. [PMID: 39221066 PMCID: PMC11362875 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v30.i32.3783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2024] [Revised: 08/08/2024] [Accepted: 08/13/2024] [Indexed: 08/26/2024] Open
Abstract
A bibliometric analysis of studies dedicated to autoimmune gastritis (AIG) recently published demonstrated a noteworthy surge in publications over the last three years. This can be explained by numerous publications from different regions of the world reporting the results of several studies that stimulated reassessment of our view of AIG as a precancerous condition. Follow-up studies and retrospective analyses showed that the risk of gastric cancer (GC) in AIG patients is much lower than expected if the patients ever being infected with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) were excluded. The low prevalence of precancerous lesions, such as the incomplete type of intestinal metaplasia, may explain the low risk of GC in AIG patients because the spasmolytic polypeptide-expressing metaplasia commonly observed in AIG does not involve clonal reprogramming of the gastric gland and can be considered as an adaptive change rather than a true precancerous lesion. However, changes in gastric secretion due to the progression of gastric atrophy during the course of AIG cause changes in the gastric mic-robiome, stimulating the growth of bacterial species such as streptococci, which may promote the development of precancerous lesions and GC. Thus, Streptococcus anginosus exhibited a robust proinflammatory response and induced the gastritis-atrophy-metaplasia-dysplasia sequence in mice, reproducing the well-established process for carcinogenesis associated with H. pylori. Prospective studies in H. pylori-naïve patients evaluating gastric microbiome changes during the long-term course of AIG might provide an explanation for the enigmatic increase in GC incidence in the last decades in younger cohorts, which has been reported in economically developed countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vasily Isakov
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Federal Research Center of Nutrition, Biotechnology and Food Safety, Moscow 115446, Russia
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Arai J, Niikura R, Hayakawa Y, Hirata Y, Ushiku T, Fujishiro M. Autoimmune gastritis may be less susceptible to cancer development than Helicobacter pylori-related gastritis based on histological analysis. Gut 2024; 73:1037-1038. [PMID: 37197906 DOI: 10.1136/gutjnl-2023-330052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Junya Arai
- Department of Gastroenterology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Departmemt of Gastroenterology, The Institute for Adult Diseases, Asahi Life Foundation, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ryota Niikura
- Department of Gastroenterology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Gastroenterological Endoscopy, Tokyo Medical University, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yoku Hayakawa
- Department of Gastroenterology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yoshihiro Hirata
- Department of Gastroenterology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tetsuo Ushiku
- Department of Pathology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Mitsuhiro Fujishiro
- Department of Gastroenterology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
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Taylor L, McCaddon A, Wolffenbuttel BHR. Creating a Framework for Treating Autoimmune Gastritis-The Case for Replacing Lost Acid. Nutrients 2024; 16:662. [PMID: 38474790 DOI: 10.3390/nu16050662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2024] [Revised: 02/18/2024] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Autoimmune gastritis (AIG) is characterized by the destruction of gastric parietal cells, resulting in hypochlorhydria and eventual achlorhydria, as oxyntic glands in the corpus are destroyed and become atrophic. The permanent loss of gastric acid has many impacts-both theoretical and documented. The most concerning of these are hypergastrinemia and increased N-nitroso compounds, both of which increase the risk of gastric cancers. While known deficiencies of B12 and iron are often replaced in AIG, acid is not. Moreover, patients with AIG are often prescribed acid suppression for a stomach that is decidedly no longer acidic, worsening the sequelae of gastric atrophy. Betaine hydrochloride (BHCL) is a short-acting acidifying agent, available over the counter in capsule form. Mealtime acid supplementation has an historic basis and could ameliorate many AIG-related gastrointestinal symptoms. Theoretically, acidification could also reduce the potential for hypergastrinemia and the production of N-nitroso compounds, consequently reducing the risk of gastric cancers. Supplemental vitamin C may also help in preventing gastric N-nitroso formation, regardless of the gastric pH. This narrative review describes the functions of gastric acid in gastrointestinal and immune health, documents the effects of hypochlorhydria in AIG, and proposes potential options for safely re-establishing the acid milieu of the stomach for patients with AIG.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lori Taylor
- Faculty of Integrative and Functional Nutrition, Saybrook University, Pasadena, CA 91103, USA
| | - Andrew McCaddon
- Faculty of Social and Life Sciences, Wrexham University, Wrexham LL11 2AW, UK
| | - Bruce H R Wolffenbuttel
- University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, 9713 GZ Groningen, The Netherlands
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Waldum H, Mjønes P. The central role of gastrin in gastric cancer. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1176673. [PMID: 37941554 PMCID: PMC10628637 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1176673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The prevalence of gastric cancer has markedly declined, but due to the high mortality rates associated with gastric cancer, it is still a serious disease. The preferred classification of gastric cancer is according to Lauren into either the intestinal type, which has a glandular growth pattern, or the diffuse type, which does not have glandular structures. Both types have been classified as adenocarcinomas, with the latter type based on periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) positivity presumed to reflect mucin. However, the presence of mucin in the diffuse type, in contrast to neuroendocrine/enterochromaffin-like (ECL) cell markers, has not been confirmed by immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization. The ECL cells are probably prone to becoming cancerous because they do not express E-cadherin. Gastric cancer is unique in that a bacterium, Helicobacter pylori, is thought to be its main cause. H. pylori predisposes infected individuals to cancer only after having caused oxyntic atrophy leading to gastric hypoacidity and hypergastrinemia. No single H. pylori factor has been convincingly proved to be carcinogenic. It is probable that gastrin is the pathogenetic factor for gastric cancer due to H. pylori, autoimmune gastritis, and long-term prolonged inhibition of gastric acid secretion. Hypergastrinemia induces ECL cell hyperplasia, which develops into neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) and then into neuroendocrine carcinomas in rodents, a sequence that has also been described in humans. During carcinogenesis, the tumor cells lose specific traits, requiring that sensitive methods be used to recognize their origin. Gastric cancer occurrence may hopefully be prevented by H. pylori eradication at a young age, and by the reduced use of inhibitors of acid secretion and use of a gastrin antagonist in those with previous long-term H. pylori infection and those with autoimmune gastritis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helge Waldum
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Patricia Mjønes
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
- Department of Pathology, St. Olav’s Hospital – Trondheim University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway
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Iwamuro M, Tanaka T, Otsuka M. Update in Molecular Aspects and Diagnosis of Autoimmune Gastritis. Curr Issues Mol Biol 2023; 45:5263-5275. [PMID: 37504250 PMCID: PMC10378041 DOI: 10.3390/cimb45070334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Revised: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent studies have advanced our understanding of the pathophysiology of autoimmune gastritis, particularly its molecular aspects. The most noteworthy recent advancement lies in the identification of several candidate genes implicated in the pathogenesis of pernicious anemia through genome-wide association studies. These genes include PTPN22, PNPT1, HLA-DQB1, and IL2RA. Recent studies have also directed attention towards other genes such as ATP4A, ATP4B, AIRE, SLC26A7, SLC26A9, and BACH2 polymorphism. In-depth investigations have been conducted on lymphocytes and cytokines, including T helper 17 cells, interleukin (IL)-17A, IL-17E, IL-17F, IL-21, IL-19, tumor necrosis factor-α, IL-15, transforming growth factor-β1, IL-13, and diminished levels of IL-27. Animal studies have explored the involvement of roseolovirus and H. pylori in relation to the onset of the disease and the process of carcinogenesis, respectively. Recent studies have comprehensively examined the involvement of autoantibodies, serum pepsinogen, and esophagogastroduodenoscopy in the diagnosis of autoimmune gastritis. The current focus lies on individuals demonstrating atypical presentations of the disease, including those diagnosed in childhood, those yielding negative results for autoantibodies, and those lacking the typical endoscopic characteristics of mucosal atrophy. Here, we discuss the recent developments in this field, focusing on genetic predisposition, epigenetic modifications, lymphocytes, cytokines, oxidative stress, infectious agents, proteins, microRNAs, autoantibodies, serum pepsinogen, gastrin, esophagogastroduodenoscopy and microscopic findings, and the risk of gastric neoplasm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masaya Iwamuro
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama 700-8558, Japan
| | - Takehiro Tanaka
- Department of Pathology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama 700-8558, Japan
| | - Motoyuki Otsuka
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama 700-8558, Japan
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Incidence of Gastric Neoplasms Arising from Autoimmune Metaplastic Atrophic Gastritis: A Systematic Review and Case Reports. J Clin Med 2023; 12:jcm12031062. [PMID: 36769710 PMCID: PMC9918256 DOI: 10.3390/jcm12031062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2022] [Revised: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Autoimmune metaplastic atrophic gastritis (AMAG) is associated with an increased risk of gastric neoplasms. This study aimed to systematically analyze the incidence rate of gastric cancer (GC), low-grade dysplasia (LGD) and type-1 gastric neuroendocrine tumor (gNETs) development in AMAG adults. Studies on AMAG patients reporting the incidence of gastric neoplasms was identified through a systematic search in PUBMED and EMBASE. Study quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute quality assessment tool. Incidence rates of GC, LGD and type-1 gNETs were examined by meta-analysis. Thirteen studies met eligibility criteria. Incidence rate of gastric cancer calculated from the pooled data was 0.14% per person-year in both single-center studies and national registration studies. Meta-analysis showed a relative risk of 11.05 (95% CI: 6.39-19.11) for gastric cancer development in AMAG patients. The calculated pooled gastric LGD and type-1 gNETs incidence rates were 0.52% and 0.83% per person-year, respectively. As for experience from our center, we presented three distinctive cases of gastric neoplasm arising from the background of AMAG. This study underscores the potential for malignant transformation of precancerous lesions and reiterates the importance of careful esophagogastroduodenoscopy screening.
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Abstract
Like most solid tumours, the microenvironment of epithelial-derived gastric adenocarcinoma (GAC) consists of a variety of stromal cell types, including fibroblasts, and neuronal, endothelial and immune cells. In this article, we review the role of the immune microenvironment in the progression of chronic inflammation to GAC, primarily the immune microenvironment driven by the gram-negative bacterial species Helicobacter pylori. The infection-driven nature of most GACs has renewed awareness of the immune microenvironment and its effect on tumour development and progression. About 75-90% of GACs are associated with prior H. pylori infection and 5-10% with Epstein-Barr virus infection. Although 50% of the world's population is infected with H. pylori, only 1-3% will progress to GAC, with progression the result of a combination of the H. pylori strain, host susceptibility and composition of the chronic inflammatory response. Other environmental risk factors include exposure to a high-salt diet and nitrates. Genetically, chromosome instability occurs in ~50% of GACs and 21% of GACs are microsatellite instability-high tumours. Here, we review the timeline and pathogenesis of the events triggered by H. pylori that can create an immunosuppressive microenvironment by modulating the host's innate and adaptive immune responses, and subsequently favour GAC development.
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Arai J, Niikura R, Hayakawa Y, Suzuki N, Hirata Y, Ushiku T, Fujishiro M. Clinicopathological Features of Gastric Cancer with Autoimmune Gastritis. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10040884. [PMID: 35453635 PMCID: PMC9031450 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10040884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2022] [Revised: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 04/06/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Most gastric cancers develop in patients with chronic gastritis. Chronic gastritis can be classified into two major subtypes: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori)-induced gastritis and autoimmune gastritis (AIG). Whereas H. pylori-related gastric cancers are more common and have been extensively investigated, the clinicopathological features of gastric cancer with autoimmune gastritis are unclear. Patients diagnosed with gastric cancer and hospitalized in the University Tokyo Hospital from 1998 to 2017 were enrolled. Diagnosis of autoimmune gastritis was based on positivity for serum anti-parietal cell antibody (APCA). We evaluated mucin expression and immune cell infiltration by immunohistochemical staining for MUC5AC, MUC6, PD-L1, CD3, CD11, Foxp3, and PD1. We also examined the presence of bacterial taxa that are reportedly enriched in AIG. Survival analyses of recurrence and 5-year mortality were also performed. In total, 261 patients (76 APCA-positive and 185 APCA-negative) were analyzed. Immunohistochemical staining in the matched cohort showed that AIG-related gastric cancer had higher MUC5AC expression (p = 0.0007) and MUC6 expression (p = 0.0007). Greater infiltration of CD3-positive (p = 0.001), Foxp3-positive (p < 0.001), and PD1-positive cells (p = 0.001); lesser infiltration of CD11b-positive (p = 0.005) cells; and a higher prevalence of Bacillus cereus (p = 0.006) were found in AIG-related gastric cancer patients. The cumulative incidences of gastric cancer recurrence were 2.99% at 2 years, 15.68% at 6 years, and 18.81% at 10 years in APCA-positive patients; they were 12.79% at 2 years, 21.35% at 6 years, and 31.85% at 10 years in APCA-negative patients. The cumulative incidences of mortality were 0% at 3 years and 0% at 5 years in APCA-positive patients; they were 1.52% at 3 years and 2.56% at 5 years in APCA-negative patients. We identified molecular differences between AIG and non-AIG gastric cancer. Differences in T-cell populations and the gastric microbiota may contribute to the pathogenesis of gastric cancers and potentially affect the response to immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junya Arai
- Department of Gastroenterology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan; (J.A.); (N.S.); (Y.H.); (M.F.)
| | - Ryota Niikura
- Department of Gastroenterology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan; (J.A.); (N.S.); (Y.H.); (M.F.)
- Department of Gastroenterological Endoscopy, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo 160-0023, Japan
- Correspondence: (R.N.); (Y.H.); Tel.: +81-3-3342-6111 (R.N.); +81-3-3815-5411 (Y.H.)
| | - Yoku Hayakawa
- Department of Gastroenterology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan; (J.A.); (N.S.); (Y.H.); (M.F.)
- Correspondence: (R.N.); (Y.H.); Tel.: +81-3-3342-6111 (R.N.); +81-3-3815-5411 (Y.H.)
| | - Nobumi Suzuki
- Department of Gastroenterology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan; (J.A.); (N.S.); (Y.H.); (M.F.)
| | - Yoshihiro Hirata
- Department of Gastroenterology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan; (J.A.); (N.S.); (Y.H.); (M.F.)
| | - Tetsuo Ushiku
- Department of Pathology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan;
| | - Mitsuhiro Fujishiro
- Department of Gastroenterology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan; (J.A.); (N.S.); (Y.H.); (M.F.)
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Jeong JH, Lee SY, Han HS, Kim JH, Sung IK, Park HS. Five Autoimmune Gastritis Patients with Positive Findings of Serum Anti-parietal Cell Antibodies. THE KOREAN JOURNAL OF HELICOBACTER AND UPPER GASTROINTESTINAL RESEARCH 2021. [DOI: 10.7704/kjhugr.2021.0016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Autoimmune gastritis is a corpus-dominant type of gastritis with positive serum anti-parietal cell antibodies (APCA) and/or anti-intrinsic factor antibodies. Serum APCA and pepsinogen (PG) assays were performed in subjects with corpus-dominant gastritis detected by endoscopy. Serum APCA was positive in five patients. All these patients were postmenopausal women (four Koreans and one Caucasian from the Russian Federation) with a mean age of 59.0±3.2 years. They displayed low PG I levels ranging from 8.1 to 18.8 ng/mL (mean, 11.4±4.8 ng/mL) and low PG I/II ratios ranging from 0.7 to 2.4 (mean, 1.2±0.7). Three of the patients were being treated for autoimmune thyroiditis. Multiple gastric neuroendocrine tumors were observed in two Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori)-naive patients with high serum gastrin levels exceeding 700 pg/mL and serum chromogranin A levels exceeding 1,000 ng/mL. In the remaining three patients, intestinal metaplasia was observed in the biopsied specimens from the antrum, suggesting a history of H. pylori infection. Our findings indicate the value of positive serum APCA findings, low serum PG I levels, and low serum PG I/II ratios in confirming autoimmune gastritis in patients showing corpus-dominant atrophy, regardless of their H. pylori infection status.
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