Synonyms
IM
Definition
Metaplasia is a reversible change in which one adult cell type (epithelial or mesenchymal) is replaced by another adult cell type. Intestinal metaplasia (IM) of the stomach is a relatively frequent preneoplastic lesion resulting from the replacement of the gastric epithelium by an intestinal-like epithelium as a result of chronic injury. Colonization of the gastric mucosa with Helicobacter pylori is the main risk factor for IM and gastric cancer development, and it has been categorized by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a type I carcinogen. This is one of the most common bacterial infections in humans with a prevalence that reaches 90% in many developing countries and a lower prevalence in developed ones that, nevertheless, varies between 30% and 50%.
IM appears following H. pyloriinfection and chronic inflammation, as part of a multistep precancerous process that was first described in 1975, by Pelayo Correa, based on observations in...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences and Further Reading
Capelle, L. G., de Vries, A. C., Haringsma, J., Ter Borg, F., de Vries, R. A., Bruno, M. J., van Dekken, H., Meijer, J., van Grieken, N. C., & Kuipers, E. J. (2010). The staging of gastritis with the OLGA system by using intestinal metaplasia as an accurate alternative for atrophic gastritis. Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, 71, 1150–1158.
Correa, P., Piazuelo, M. B., & Wilson, K. T. (2010). Pathology of gastric intestinal metaplasia: Clinical implications. American Journal of Gastroenterology, 105, 493–498.
de Vries, A. C., van Grieken, N. C., Looman, C. W., Casparie, M. K., de Vries, E., Meijer, G. A., & Kuipers, E. J. (2008). Gastric cancer risk in patients with premalignant gastric lesions: A nationwide cohort study in the Netherlands. Gastroenterology, 134, 945–952.
Mesquita, P., Almeida, R., Lunet, N., Reis, C. A., Silva, L. F., Serpa, J., Van Seuningen, I., Barros, H., & David, L. (2006). Metaplasia–a transdifferentiation process that facilitates cancer development: The model of gastric intestinal metaplasia. Critical Reviews in Oncogenesis, 12, 3–26.
Reis, C. A., David, L., Correa, P., Carneiro, F., de Bolós, C., Garcia, E., Mandel, U., Clausen, H., & Sobrinho-Simões, M. (1999). Intestinal metaplasia of human stomach displays distinct patterns of mucin (MUC1, MUC2, MUC5AC, and MUC6) expression. Cancer Research, 59, 1003–1007.
Uemura, N., Okamoto, S., Yamamoto, S., Matsumura, N., Yamaguchi, S., Yamakido, M., Taniyama, K., Sasaki, N., & Schlemper, R. J. (2001). Helicobacter pylori infection and the development of gastric cancer. The New England Journal of Medicine, 345, 784–789.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this entry
Cite this entry
Barros, R., Almeida, R. (2017). Intestinal Metaplasia. In: Carneiro, F., Chaves, P., Ensari, A. (eds) Pathology of the Gastrointestinal Tract. Encyclopedia of Pathology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40560-5_2748
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40560-5_2748
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-40559-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-40560-5
eBook Packages: MedicineReference Module Medicine