Gastric polyps: potential risk of gastric cancer

Gastric polyps, a common gastric lesion, often have no obvious clinical symptoms and are mostly discovered accidentally during upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. There are many types of gastric polyps, among which adenomatous polyps are one of the most concerned.

Adenomatous polyps, also known as gastric adenomas, are considered precursors to gastric cancer. These polyps usually occur in the setting of gastric mucosal atrophy, but may also occur independently. According to Chinese literature, the probability of malignant transformation of adenomatous polyps is about 20.8%. Compared with other types of polyps, adenomatous polyps are more common in the gastric antrum, with a small number occurring in the cardia and gastric body.

It is worth noting that adenomatous polyps can be divided into four types according to pathological characteristics: intestinal type, foveal type, pyloric gland type and oxyntic gland type. Among them, intestinal type and foveal type are more common. Intestinal type adenoma is the most common gastric adenoma and has the highest risk of malignant transformation. When the tumor is larger, grows without a sessile structure and has a villous outline on the surface, its risk of malignant transformation increases further. It has been reported that the canceration rate of gastric adenomas with a diameter greater than 2 cm is as high as 70.59%.

In addition to adenomatous polyps, hyperplastic polyps and fundic gland polyps are also common types of gastric polyps, accounting for about 90% of all gastric polyps. Although these types of polyps are generally considered benign, they occasionally have the risk of malignant transformation.

For people with related symptoms or family history, regular gastroscopy is the key to preventing and early detection of these lesions. At the same time, maintaining good living habits and eating habits can also help reduce the risk of disease. Through early detection and intervention, we can effectively reduce the incidence of gastric cancer and increase the cure rate.