Dynamics of Helicobacter pylori infection as a determinant of progression of gastric precancerous lesions: 16-year follow-up of an eradication trial

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the long-term effect of cumulative time exposed to Helicobacter pylori infection on the progression of gastric lesions.

Design: 795 adults with precancerous gastric lesions were randomised to receive anti-H. pylori treatment at baseline. Gastric biopsies were obtained at baseline and at 3, 6, 12 and 16 years. A total of 456 individuals attended the 16-year visit. Cumulative time of H. pylori exposure was calculated as the number of years infected during follow-up. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate the risk of progression to a more advanced diagnosis (versus no change/regression) as well as gastric cancer risk by intestinal metaplasia (IM) subtype. For a more detailed analysis of progression, we also used a histopathology score assessing both severity and extension of the gastric lesions (range 1-6). The score difference between baseline and 16 years was modelled by generalised linear models.

Results: Individuals who were continuously infected with H. pylori for 16 years had a higher probability of progression to a more advanced diagnosis than those who cleared the infection and remained negative after baseline (p=0.001). Incomplete-type IM was associated with higher risk of progression to cancer than complete-type (OR, 11.3; 95% CI 1.4 to 91.4). The average histopathology score increased by 0.20 units/year (95% CI 0.12 to 0.28) among individuals continuously infected with H. pylori. The effect of cumulative time of infection on progression in the histopathology score was significantly higher for individuals with atrophy (without IM) than for individuals with IM (p<0.001).

Conclusions: Long-term exposure to H. pylori infection was associated with progression of precancerous lesions. Individuals infected with H. pylori with these lesions may benefit from eradication, particularly those with atrophic gastritis without IM. Incomplete-type IM may be a useful marker for the identification of individuals at higher risk for cancer.

Keywords: H. pylori; Latin America; OLGA; OLGIM; atrophy; dysplasia; eradication; gastric cancer; intestinal metaplasia.

Figure 1

Flow chart of study participants. H. pylori, Helicobacter pylori.

Figure 2

Prevalence of the most advanced histological lesion by anatomic subsite at baseline and 16 years of follow-up. ^*Only one GC (located in the antrum) was diagnosed at the 16-year follow-up. Test for trend in ordered diagnostic categories comparing baseline versus 16 years: antrum, p<0.001; corpus, p<0.001. Dys, dysplasia; GC, gastric cancer; IM, intestinal metaplasia; MAG, multifocal atrophic gastritis without intestinal metaplasia; NAG, non-atrophic gastritis.

Figure 3

Average differences in histopathology scores between baseline and 16 years of follow-up by H. pylori status at 12 and 16 years. Bars indicate 95% CIs. H. pylori, Helicobacter pylori.

Figure 4

Average differences in histopathology scores between baseline and 16 years of follow-up by histological diagnosis at baseline and H. pylori status at 16 years (76% of dysplasias at baseline were in the category indefinite for dysplasia, 23% were low grade and 1% were high grade). Bars indicate 95% CIs. H. pylori, Helicobacter pylori; IM, intestinal metaplasia; MAG, multifocal atrophic gastritis without intestinal metaplasia.