Classification of gastritis in first-degree relatives of patients with gastric cancer in a high cancer-risk area in Italy.

Background: Screening gastroscopic examinations were performed in a cohort of individuals at high risk for developing gastric carcinoma (GC). Patients and methods: Five gastric biopsies were obtained following the Houston schema. Five histological parameters of gastritis were investigated: acute gastritis, chronic gastritis, and its sequelae; mucosal atrophy, intestinal metaplasia and pseudopyloric metaplasia. Results: Out of 134 patients, 50% (n=67) had Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection. The sum of scores for the first four parameters was significantly higher in HP-positive cases than in HP-negative ones (p<0.0001). The frequency of these histological parameters was similar to other series from Northern and Central Italy. Hence, none of the histological parameters of gastritis explain the high GC risk in this borough of Florence, considering that the incidence rate of GC is higher in Central than in Northern Italy. Conclusion: Similarities in the frequency of chronic gastritis and sequelae in Northern and Central Italy substantiate the conviction that the difference in GC risk in these regions might be the result of local environmental or lifestyle factors, rather than HP infection. This knowledge is crucial, considering that environmentally related diseases are theoretically preventable.