← Issue №15/ week of Oct 11, 2026/Esophagus/Reflux

Novel insights into autoimmune gastritis: clinical profile and gastric neoplastic risk from an international multicentre study.

From GI Signals issue №15: what this paper found, what it changes, and where it sits against the current standard of care, reviewed by Simon Mathews, MD.

Esophagus/Reflux retrospective · n=1,240 · Oct 7, 2026 · Gut · IF 24.6

Novel insights into autoimmune gastritis: clinical profile and gastric neoplastic risk from an international multicentre study.

New evidenceepidemiologybiomarker
Clinical takeawayMonitor AIG patients aged >65, with intestinal metaplasia, elevated gastrin-17 (>1316 pg/mL), prior PPI use, smoking history, or incomplete H. pylori eradication more closely for gastric adenocarcinoma and NETs, considering region-specific risk profiles and using high-quality endoscopy with virtual chromoendoscopy as per standard of care.
What it foundAIG patients had a 2.9% incidence of gastric adenocarcinoma and 10.6% incidence of NETs, with adenocarcinoma risk factors including age >65 (OR 4.50), intestinal metaplasia (OR 1.51), gastrin-17 >1316 pg/mL (OR 15.52), and prior PPI use (OR 5.74).
ContextThis study provides the first international multicentre data on AIG-associated neoplastic risks, highlighting regional variations in anemia and autoimmune comorbidities, and identifying specific risk factors for adenocarcinoma and NETs.
Emergingsuggested applicable standard· European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE), European Helicobacter and Microbiota Study Group (EHMSG) and European Society of Pathology (ESP), "Management of epithelial precancerous conditions and early neoplasia of the stomach (MAPS III): Guideline update 2025", Endoscopy, 2025 (Recommendations 31 and 34)

No single passage of this standard matched the paper closely enough to quote, so none is shown. The standard is cited above.

Our full summary of this standard

Perform individual gastric risk assessment and staging of precancerous conditions at first-time gastroscopy, irrespective of the patient's country of origin. Use high quality endoscopy with virtual chromoendoscopy (VCE), after proper training, for screening, diagnosis and staging of atrophy and intestinal metaplasia and after endoscopic therapy; VCE guides the biopsy site, with random biopsies taken only when there are no endoscopically suspected changes. Take biopsies from at least two topographic sites, 2 from the antrum/incisura and 2 from the corpus, VCE-guided, in two separate, clearly labeled vials; an additional incisura biopsy is optional, not required. Stage with validated endoscopic classifications of atrophy (e.g. Kimura-Takemoto) or intestinal metaplasia (e.g. EGGIM) to stratify gastric cancer risk (suggestion, weaker than the biopsy recommendation). Follow up patients with extensive endoscopic changes (Kimura C3+ or EGGIM 5+) OR an advanced histological stage that reaches OLGA/OLGIM III/IV, severe atrophy or intestinal metaplasia and/or significant changes in both antrum and corpus rising to stage III/IV, not any intestinal metaplasia or any antrum-plus-corpus involvement on its own, with high quality endoscopy every 3 years, irrespective of country of origin (strong recommendation, moderate quality). Propose NO surveillance for patients with mild to moderate atrophy or intestinal metaplasia restricted to the antrum, in the absence of endoscopic signs of extensive lesions or other risk factors (family history of gastric cancer, incomplete intestinal metaplasia, persistent H. pylori infection), the guideline states this group constitutes most individuals found in clinical practice. Eradicate H. pylori in all patients with precancerous conditions and after endoscopic or surgical therapy. Discontinue or do not start gastric cancer screening or surveillance in asymptomatic individuals over 80, and weigh comorbidities when planning treatment of superficial lesions. Advise smoking cessation; low-dose daily aspirin may be considered for gastric cancer prevention only in selected individuals already at high cardiovascular risk. For visible neoplasia, use ESD for differentiated lesions clinically staged as dysplastic (low or high grade) or intramucosal carcinoma (any size if not ulcerated, or ≤30 mm if ulcerated), with EMR an alternative for Paris 0-IIa lesions ≤10 mm with low likelihood of malignancy. At the population level, endoscopic screening is suggested every 2-3 years in high-risk regions (age-standardized rate >20 per 100,000 person-years), every 5 years in intermediate-risk regions (ASR 10-20) only if cost-effectiveness has been proven, and not at all in low-risk regions (ASR <10).

European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE), European Helicobacter and Microbiota Study Group (EHMSG) and European Society of Pathology (ESP), "Management of epithelial precancerous conditions and early neoplasia of the stomach (MAPS III): Guideline update 2025", Endoscopy, 2025 (Recommendations 31 and 34) · reviewed 2026-07-23 ↗
Lenti MV … Di Sabatino A · Gut · IF 24.6 · PubMed ↗Permalink
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