Should I worry about intestinal metaplasia?

Should I worry about intestinal metaplasia?

Perhaps the biggest concern for those with intestinal metaplasia is that it might be precancerous. The abnormal cells in the digestive tract may go through a stage called dysplasia if left untreated. These abnormal cells may or may not progress to cancerous cells.

Is intestinal metaplasia serious?

Intestinal metaplasia is believed to be a precancerous lesion that may lead to gastric cancer. If you have intestinal metaplasia, then your risk of getting gastric cancer is increased six times .

Is gastric intestinal metaplasia cancer?

Gastric intestinal metaplasia (GIM) is an intermediate precancerous gastric lesion in the gastric cancer cascade of chronic gastritis, atrophic gastritis, intestinal metaplasia (IM), dysplasia, and adenocarcinoma [1]. Although the risk of gastric cancer is increased in patients with GIM, the absolute risk is modest.

What causes intestinal metaplasia in the stomach?

Intestinal metaplasia (IM) of the stomach is associated with a very small increased risk of developing gastric cancer. Known risk factors for IM include Helicobacter pylori infection, high salt intake, smoking, alcohol consumption, and chronic bile reflux.

Can you get rid of intestinal metaplasia?

Gastric intestinal metaplasia (GIM) is precancerous with a worldwide prevalence of 25%. Eradicating Helicobacter pylori prevented about half of gastric cancers; failure to prevent the rest was attributed to GIM. GIM is irreversible and often extensive. There is no treatment.

Can gastric intestinal metaplasia be reversed?

Metaplasia is defined as a potentially reversible change from a fully differentiated cell type to another, which implies adaptation to environmental stimuli, and that embryological commitments can be reversed or erased under certain circumstances.

How long does it take for intestinal metaplasia to turn into cancer?

GIM is asymptomatic. Time to develop cancer has been reported to be 4.6–7 years.23, 29, 30 A European guideline in 2019 recommends regular surveillance for early cancer as the main management for GIM. In Asia, screening for early gastric cancer remains a prevalent approach.

How often does intestinal metaplasia turn into cancer?

Atrophic gastritis, intestinal metaplasia, mild-moderate dysplasia, and severe dysplasia were associated with annual incidences of gastric cancer of 0.1%, 0.25%, 0.6%, and 6.0%, respectively.

Is metaplasia benign or malignant?

When cells are faced with physiological or pathological stresses, they respond by adapting in any of several ways, one of which is metaplasia. It is a benign (i.e. non-cancerous) change that occurs as a response to change of milieu (physiological metaplasia) or chronic physical or chemical irritation.

How common is gastric intestinal metaplasia?

Gastric intestinal metaplasia (GIM) is precancerous with a worldwide prevalence of 25%. Eradicating Helicobacter pylori prevented about half of gastric cancers; failure to prevent the rest was attributed to GIM. GIM is irreversible and often extensive.

Is intestinal metaplasia painful?

Most people do not experience noticeable symptoms of intestinal metaplasia. In fact, the condition is not typically associated with any adverse symptoms. 1 Others may have symptoms of stomach distress, such as acid reflux, ulcers, gastritis, or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

Is intestinal metaplasia common?

Intestinal metaplasia (IM) is recognized as a precancerous lesion for gastric cancer, increasing the risk by 6-fold. IM is highly prevalent in the general population, being detected in nearly 1 of every 4 patients undergoing upper endoscopy.