A COMPARATIVE-STUDY BETWEEN THE GASTRIC-MUCOSA OF WEST CANADIANS AND OTHER DWELLERS OF THE PACIFIC BASIN

The presence of non-neoplastic changes in the gastric mucosa - such as intramucosal glandular cysts pyloric cells with ciliated metaplasia, with large or small mucus negative vacuoles, and with glassy cytoplasm , as well as extensive intestinal metaplasia (LM) - was investigated i n 241 consecutive gastrectomy specimens from the archival files of the Vancouver Hospital situated on the Pacific coast of Canada. A total o f 2,938 sections were reviewed (mean number of sections per gastrectom y: 12.24 (range 5-56 sections). Of the specimens with intestinal type carcinoma (known to be promoted by environmental factors), 68.9% conta ined intramucosal cysts, 35.6% pyloric cells with ciliated metaplasia, 35.6% pyloric cells with large vacuoles, 20.0% pyloric cells with sma ll vacuoles, 4.4% pyloric cells with glassy cytoplasm and 40.0% high I M values. Those percentages were significantly higher than for specime ns having diffuse type carcinomas, peptic ulcers, benign gastric tumor s or non-neoplastic gastric diseases. The present findings substantiat e early results obtained in other populations dwelling along the Pacif ic Basin. In contrast, dwellers of the Atlantic Basin with gastric car cinoma of intestinal type or other gastric diseases, seldom have simil ar gastric non-neoplastic changes. It is suggested that the gastric mu cosa of Pacific coast Canadians may develop, similarly with inhabitant s of other regions of the Pacific Basin, non-neoplastic changes, most notably when harbouring an adenocarcinoma of intestinal type. Environm ental factors acting in that basin may account for the results obtaine d.