Different gastritis features are linked to different gastric neoplasms

Objectives - Helicobacter pylori infection induces gastritis, which may evo lve to carcinoma or lymphoma. Whether duration of infection and inflammatio n pattern determine the outcome of the neoplastic process is not known. The aim of this study was to investigate the features of the gastritis associa ted with neoplasia. Methods - Gastritis found in association with carcinoma (100 cases) and lym phoma (45 cases) were graded using the Sydney system. Results - In particular in the antrum, gastric carcinomas, in particular of the intestinal type, were associated with a chronic (94%, n = 34/36) atrop hic (92%, n = 33/36) gastritis and intestinal metaplasia (81%, n = 29/36). In diffuse type carcinomas inflammation was either absent or mild. An activ e (64%, n = 16/25), chronic gastritis (100%, n = 25/25) with lymphoid hyper plasia (72%, n = 18/25) was found in marginal zone cell lymphoma. Conclusions - Our study shows that the (pre)atrophic phases of inflammation are associated with gastric carcinomas. In contrast the active phase of in flammation, characterized by severe activity as well as severe chronicity, is found next to marginal zone cell lymphoma.