A prospective study of atrophic gastritis and stomach cancer risk.

The relation of atrophic gastritis, other gastric lesions and lifestyle factors to stomach cancer risk was prospectively studied among 3,914 subjects who underwent gastroscopic examination and responded to a questionnaire survey at the Aichi Cancer Center Hospital. During 4.4 years of follow-up on average, 45 incident cases of stomach cancer were identified at least three months after the initial examination. If the baseline endoscopic findings indicated the presence of atrophic gastritis, the risk of developing stomach cancer was increased 5.73-fold, compared with no indication at the baseline. The risk further increased with advancing degree of atrophy and increasing extension of atrophy on the lesser curvature. These trends in the relative risks were statistically significant (P = 0.027 and P = 0.041, respectively). The risk of developing stomach cancer was statistically significantly increased among subjects with gastric polyps, but not among those with gastric ulcer. Stomach cancer cases tended to consume more cigarettes, alcohol, rice, pickles and salted fish gut/cod roe and less fruits and vegetables and to have more family histories of stomach cancer than noncases, although these differences were not statistically significant. The results of the present study provide additional evidence on the relation between atrophic gastritis and stomach cancer and suggest a need for intensive follow-up of patients with atrophic gastritis and gastric polyps.

Atrophic gastritis and stomach cancer risk: cross-sectional analyses.

The relationship between atrophic gastritis and stomach cancer risk was investigated in case-control analyses involving 387 cases with stomach cancer and 5,422 control subjects who received gastroscopic examination at Aichi Cancer Center Hospital from April, 1985 to March, 1989. The presence of atrophic gastritis, the degree and extension of the atrophy and the presence of granularity and erosion were diagnosed endoscopically by six gastroenterologists. The prevalence of atrophic gastritis increased with age and was higher in males than in females. The relative risk (RR) of stomach cancer was 5.13 (95% confidence interval (CI): 2.79-9.42) if a subject had any type of atrophic gastritis. The risk further increased with advancing degree of atrophy and increasing extension on the greater and lesser curvatures. The RR associated with severe atrophy was 7.73 (95% CI: 3.95-15.12). These associations remained significant when analyzed by sex and age. The presence of granularity and erosion did not much affect the estimated risks. A clear difference in risk appeared in the analyses by histological type of cancer. The RR associated with atrophic gastritis was 24.71 (95% CI: 3.46-176.68) for the intestinal type and 3.49 (95% CI: 1.77-6.87) for the diffuse type. These findings may suggest a need for intensive follow-up of patients with severe atrophic gastritis.

[Comparative case-control analysis of gastric and duodenal ulcers].

A case-control analysis was conducted comparing gastric and duodenal ulcers involving 369 cases with gastric ulcer, 127 cases with duodenal ulcer an 3,104 control subjects based on a questionnaire survey of subjects who received gastroscopic examination at the Aichi Cancer Center Hospital from April, 1985 to March, 1989. Risk of gastric ulcer was positively associated with smoking (relative risk (RR) = 3.67, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.63-5.13), irregular time of meals (RR = 1.39, 95% CI: 1.06-1.81) and milk intake (RR = 1.60, 95% CI: 1.25-2.04) and inversely associated with fruit intake (RR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.57-0.95), while the risk of duodenal ulcer was positively associated with smoking (RR = 1.94, 95% CI: 1.16-3.26), a preference for foods that are not rich (RR = 1.55, 95% CI: 1.03-2.32), intake of pickled vegetables (RR = 1.76, 95% CI: 1.21-2.55) and presence of methods of diversion (RR = 1.77, 95% CI: 1.16-2.71). These results suggest that life style is involved in the etiology of both diseases and that there are some differences in the associations between both diseases.

A comparative case-control analysis of stomach cancer and atrophic gastritis.

We conducted a comparative case-control analysis of stomach cancer and atrophic gastritis involving 427 cases with stomach cancer, 1414 cases with atrophic gastritis, and 3014 control subjects based on a questionnaire survey conducted for the subjects who received gastroscopic examination at Aichi Cancer Center Hospital from April 1985 to March 1989. The risk of atrophic gastritis in both males and females was not associated with any environmental factors. The risk of stomach cancer compared with the control subjects was positively associated with an intake of salted fish guts or cod roe [relative risk (RR) = 1.52, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.08-2.15] and smoking (RR for 20 or more cigarettes per day = 2.84; 95% CI = 1.79-4.51) and inversely associated with Western-style breakfast (RR = 0.68; 95% CI = 0.48-0.96) in males. Additionally, the risk of stomach cancer was inversely associated with a daily intake of raw vegetables (RR = 0.56; 95% CI = 0.34-0.94) in males when compared with the patients with atrophic gastritis as controls. Several environmental factors, such as intake of green-yellow vegetables, fruit, and meat, and a family history of stomach cancer, were only associated with intestinal types of cancer in females, whereas a clear difference between diffuse and intestinal types was not observed in males. The results of the present study suggest that risk factors for stomach cancer may be different from those for premalignant lesions.

[Indications and limitations of laser treatment for early gastric cancer and palliative treatments for malignant obstruction of the esophagus and stomach].

The long-term effect of endoscopic laser treatment for early gastric cancer as a local curative procedure was reported. Forty-seven patients with endoscopically diagnosed early gastric cancer whose surgical risk was critical or who refused surgery were treated by either photocoagulative Nd: YAG laser (YAG) or photodynamic therapy (PDT) with argon dye laser and hematoporphyrin derivatives (HpD) or both and followed-up for more than 3 years. Thirty-one patients were initially treated by YAG. One patient was lost to follow-up. Sixteen of 30 cases (53%) treated by YAG were negative for cancer on biopsy for 9 to 73 months (mean 3 years and 7 months) after the initial treatment. Sixteen cases were initially treated by PDT. Eight of 14 cases (57%) treated by PDT with argon dye laser were negative for cancer on biopsy for 19 to 35 months (mean 1 year and 7 months). Ten of 13 cases treated by combined laser therapy were negative for cancer on biopsy for 12 to 77 months (mean 3 years and 2 months). Curative effect of YAG and PDT was expected in lesions of superficially elevated mucosal cancer (type) IIa less than 20mm and well demarcated superficially depressed mucosal cancer (type IIc) less than 10mm. PDT was superior to YAG in treating early gastric cancer, particularly when the margin of lesion is unclear, and depth of cancer invasion is estimated to be submucosal. Risks of lymph node metastasis in these lesions are reportedly minimal as well. Quality of life scores did not decrease when the patients were treated by lasers, but did so statistically significantly in the surgically treated group of patients. Therefore, we conclude that the endoscopic laser is the treatment of choice of treatment for early gastric cancer as a local curative procedure in the aged if they have a curable lesion as mentioned above. As a palliative treatment, 34 patients with neoplastic obstruction of the esophagus and stomach were treated by dilators with or without intubation of prosthesis tube and laser recanalization. Functional efficacy (ability to eat solid or semi-solid diet which could not be eater before treatment) was noted in 64% of 11 cases treated by dilators alone, 75% of 12 cases treated by intubation of prosthesis tube and 45% of 11 cases treated by lasers. There was a greater complication rate in the intubation group also. Patients with malignant stricture due to mediastinal lymph node metastasis were at higher risk of perforation.

Hyperamylasemia in patients at an intensive care unit.

We have evaluated the prevalence of hyperamylasemia in various acute disorders that required admission to an intensive care unit. Hyperamylasemia was found in 27 of 53 patients (51%). The source of hyperamylasemia was determined by isoamylase analysis with an inhibition method using an inhibitor specific to salivary type isoamylase. Increased pancreatic type isoamylase with a high P/S ratio was found in six patients with disorders related to the pancreas and elevated salivary type isoamylase with a low P/S ratio in 17 with various extrapancreatic diseases of heart, lung, trauma, or in the postoperative state. We found a simultaneous rise in pancreatic and salivary type isoamylases with normal P/S ratio in four patients with renal failure. Our experience suggests that isoamylase analysis by an inhibition method can be done rapidly and inexpensively. Knowing whether hyperamylasemia is pancreatic or nonpancreatic in origin should help to exclude unnecessary evaluation and treatment.

Clinical value of routine isoamylase analysis of hyperamylasemia.

To study incidence and cause of hyperamylasemia in various diseases, serum amylase was determined in 1371 consecutive patients and subsequent isoamylase analysis was carried out in 91 hyperamylasemic sera. Hyperamylasemia was observed in various diseases: acute pancreatitis (5/5), chronic pancreatitis (0/3), mumps (3/3), cerebrovascular diseases (2/39), respiratory diseases (6/69), heart diseases (5/89), liver diseases (16/101), cholelithiasis (0/13), diabetes mellitus (2/66), peptic ulcer (0/46), other digestive diseases (0/33), malignant tumor (9/249), renal failure (21/25), intraabdominal surgery (9/35), extraabdominal surgery (2/20), trauma (1/23), and miscellaneous (10/552). Salivary type hyperamylasemia due to dominant increase of salivary type isoamylase occurred in over half of the hyperamylasemic patients. Knowledge of hyperamylasemia in various diseases and routine isoamylase analysis of hyperamylasemic sera would enhance diagnostic accuracy and exclude unnecessary treatment of pancreatitis solely because of the presence of hyperamylasemia.

Differential determination of serum isoamylase using an amylase inhibitor and its clinical application.

Diagnostic significance of a simple and rapid screening procedure for determining the relative amounts of pancreatic and salivary isoamylase using an amylase inhibitor was evaluated in 242 subjects (controls 84, acute pancreatitis nine, chronic pancreatitis 28, pancreatic cancer 14, peptic ulcer 25, liver cirrhosis 15, cholelithiasis 24, irritable colon syndrome 13, diabetes mellitus 13, mumps seven, and chronic renal failure 10). Electrophoretically separated isoamylases of saliva and pure pancreatic juice were all inhibited at similar degrees to the corresponding unfractionated amylases. Total amylase and pancreatic isoamylase were elevated in all nine patients with acute pancreatitis. Pancreatic isoamylase was decreased in 12 of 28 patients (43%) with chronic pancreatitis and increased in nine of 14 patients (64%) with pancreatic cancer. The mean pancreatic isoamylase activity in the patients with acute pancreatitis was significantly higher (p less than 0.01), while that of chronic pancreatitis was significantly lower (p less than 0.05) when compared with controls. The inhibition method offers simple, rapid, and specific analysis of serum isoamylase for the differential diagnosis of hyperamylasemia in cases of emergency.

Hyperamylasemia with papillary serous cystadenocarcinoma of the ovary.

A case of a 49-year-old housewife with persistent hyperamylasemia, intractable amylase-rich ascites, and papillary serous cystadenocarcinoma of the ovaries is presented. The hyperamylasemia was attributable to neoplastic production of salivary-type isoamylase by analysis of isoamylase in the serum, urine, ascites, primary tumor of the ovaries and metastatic tumor of the lymph nodes. Cellular localization of amylase in the tumor tissues was demonstrated immunohistochemically in the primary and metastatic tumors using an indirect immunoperoxidase method.

Clinical evaluation of pancreatic excretion test with dimethadione and oral BT-PABA test in chronic pancreatitis.

Further evaluation of the pancreatic excretion test with 5,5-dimethyl-2,4-oxazolidinedione (dimethadione, DMO) was made in comparison with the pancreozymin-secretin (PS) test on 100 normal subjects, 79 patients with chronic pancreatitis, and 83 patients with nonpancreatic disease. The diagnostic sensitivity of the oral N-benzoyl-L-tyrosyl-PABA (BT-PABA) test was estimated in 42 patients with chronic pancreatitis, on whom both PS and DMO excretion tests were performed as test of reference for exocrine pancreatic function. Pancreatic DMO excretion after secretin injection was significantly diminished in chronic pancreatitis. The DMO excretion test was more sensitive than the PS test to detect chronic pancreatitis and to distinguish between mild to moderate and advanced noncalcific chronic pancreatitis. The specificity of the DMO excretion test was more than adequate to find out pancreatic disease. The 6-hr urinary PABA excretion was significantly reduced in chronic pancreatitis. The BT-PABA test, however, showed the low sensitivity in mild to moderate chronic pancreatitis.