LEWIS, SECRETOR, AND ABO PHENOTYPES, AND SULFOMUCIN EXPRESSION IN GASTRIC INTESTINAL METAPLASIA

The closely interrelated Lewis, secretor, and ABO phenotypes have long been linked to the risk of peptic ulcers and gastric cancer and may m odulate the interaction between Helicobacter pylori and the gastric su rface epithelium. We explored the association between the expression o f sulfomucins in gastric intestinal metaplasia, a known marker of pren eoplastic progression, and the expression of Le,vis, secretor, and ABO phenotypes, in 523 subjects from Narino, Colombia, and 856 subjects f rom northern Spain, In both study populations, Lewis (a+/b-) and nonse cretor phenotypes showed a significant positive association with the e xpression of sulfomucins (odds ratios, 2.4 and 2.6, respectively).