Question: Doctor, what can you say about complete and incomplete intestinal metaplasia of the stomach? I got an appointment with a gastroenterologist after two FGS with biopsies with an interval of a year between them. In the first case, it was incomplete (which is considered precancerous). A year later - complete. which is almost completely ignored. I asked the doctor how this could be, or was the study done incorrectly? And the doctor answered me, why is there anything incomprehensible? Everything is logical: it was incomplete, it became complete, that is, by incomplete, apparently, meaning local, and by complete, total. What do you say? Is it possible to improve the condition of the stomach and how to live with it at all? At the same time, there have never been any pains, and now there are no pains.
My answer: someone misunderstands. Incomplete metaplasia is worse than complete metaplasia. Full means that the cells in the stomach have become like mature cells in the small intestine. They don't grow anywhere further.
Incomplete means that cells in the stomach have become similar to cells in the large intestine at different stages of their development. That is, they change, and the risk of cancer in such changing cells is 3 times higher.
In such cases, it is better not to smoke, not drink alcohol and decide whether it is necessary to repeat the FGS. This is not always offered. Because the risk of stomach cancer, even if it has grown significantly, will not be too great.
Well, if you take a thousand people with metaplasia and follow them for a year, then in a good case, cancer can be found in one. And in the worst case, 3 times more. That is, three people. But all the same it will be one or three people out of a THOUSAND. That is, the absolute risk is not very high. But if you personally get this cancer, then you will be very offended. Therefore, do whatever the gastroenterologist suggests.
