Autoimmunity and Gastric Cancer

• Main Authors: Nicola Bizzaro, Antonio Antico, Danilo Villalta
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2018-01-01
• Series: International Journal of Molecular Sciences
• Subjects: autoimmune diseases; autoimmune gastritis; gastric cancer; Helicobacter pylori infection; intrinsic factor antibodies; parietal cell antibodies
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/19/2/377

Alterations in the immune response of patients with autoimmune diseases may predispose to malignancies, and a link between chronic autoimmune gastritis and gastric cancer has been reported in many studies. Intestinal metaplasia with dysplasia of the gastric corpus-fundus mucosa and hyperplasia of chromaffin cells, which are typical features of late-stage autoimmune gastritis, are considered precursor lesions. Autoimmune gastritis has been associated with the development of two types of gastric neoplasms: intestinal type and type I gastric carcinoid. Here, we review the association of autoimmune gastritis with gastric cancer and other autoimmune features present in gastric neoplasms.