What are the other Names for this Condition? (Also known as/Synonyms)

• Gastric Adenoma, Intestinal type
• Intestinal type Adenoma of Stomach

What is Intestinal-type Gastric Adenoma? (Definition/Background Information)

• Intestinal-type Gastric Adenoma is a polypoid lesion of gastric mucosa showing dysplastic changes with histological features of intestinal lining epithelium
• These tumors are normally asymptomatic and detected incidentally during an endoscopic procedure
• Some of the tumors may show high-grade dysplasia that can potentially develop into a malignancy
• There are two subtypes that include:
  • Sporadic Intestinal-type Gastric Adenoma
  • Syndromic Intestinal-type Gastric Adenoma

Incidence:

• Approximately 5% of all gastric polyps are Intestinal-type Gastric Adenomas
• These are the third-most common type of gastric polyps, after fundic gland polyps and hyperplastic polyps of the stomach
• Individuals older than 60 years are usually affected
• Both males and females are affected

Risk factors:

• Helicobacter pylori infection
• Autoimmune gastritis
• Genetic syndromes resulting from APC gene mutations, including familial adenomatous polyposis syndrome

Cause:

• The exact cause of formation of Intestinal-type Gastric Adenoma is currently unknown
• The cause may be related to genetic mutations and chronic injury to the stomach

Signs and symptoms:

• A vast majority of these polyps are asymptomatic and causing no signs and symptoms
• However, some of the tumors can cause bleeding resulting in anemia
• Over 60% of these tumors are noted in the distal portion of the stomach, during endoscopic procedures
• These tumors are usually single and measure less than 2 cm in the greatest dimension
• Rarely, tumors greater than 5 cm have been noted

Diagnosis:

• The polyps may be diagnosed incidentally when an endoscopy is performed for other health conditions
• Tissue biopsy of the tumor mass can help achieve a definitive diagnosis

Complications: These tumors are considered to be precursor lesions for gastric adenocarcinoma. Approximately one-third of the polyps, show a focus of carcinoma at the time of diagnosis.

Treatment:

• A complete surgical excision of Intestinal-type Gastric Adenoma results in a cure
• If malignancy is noted, then further treatments are necessary
• Close clinical follow-up with periodic endoscopic examinations are recommended

Prevention: Presently, it is not possible to prevent the formation of Intestinal-type Gastric Adenomas.

Prognosis:

• The prognosis of Intestinal-type Gastric Adenoma is usually good with adequate treatment (surgery)
• In rare cases, the tumor may undergo a malignant transformation. One particular study estimated the progression to adenocarcinoma to be 3% over a period of 7 years