Clinical Significance of Spasmolytic Polypeptide-expressing Metaplasia and Intestinal Metaplasia in EBV-associated and EBV-negative Gastric Cancer

Publication date: Available online 12 March 2017
Source:Human Pathology
Author(s): Yu Zhang, Jian-ning Chen, Min Dong, Zhi-gang Zhang, Yi-wang Zhang, Jun-yan Wu, Hong Du, Hai-gang Li, Yan Huang, Chun-kui Shao
Spasmolytic polypeptide-expressing metaplasia (SPEM) and intestinal metaplasia (IM) have been recognized as neoplastic precursors in gastric carcinogenesis. We explored the relationship between SPEM and IM in Epstein–Barr virus-associated (EBVaGC) and Epstein–Barr virus-negative (EBVnGC) gastric cancer. 64 EBVaGC and 154 EBVnGC patients were included. EBV-positivity was identified using EBER-1 in situ hybridization. SPEM was sub-classified into absent, early and advanced SPEM. Acute and chronic inflammation was graded as absent, mild, moderate and marked. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to analyze the correlation between SPEM, IM and inflammation. Our study revealed that SPEM was detected in 87.5% EBVaGC and 85.1% EBVnGC patients. Distribution of patients according to the SPEM classification was significantly different between EBVaGC and EBVnGC groups (P=.038). IM was observed less frequently in EBVaGC when compared to EBVnGC patients (P<.001). No difference was observed between EBVaGC and EBVnGC in the levels of acute and chronic inflammation. A positive correlation between IM and SPEM status was observed in both EBVaGC and EBVnGC patients. Furthermore, advanced SPEM was an independent influential factor to IM in EBVnGC (P=.013). In conclusion, SPEM was associated with both EBVaGC and EBVnGC more frequently than IM. Moreover, advanced SPEM had a stronger association with IM than early SPEM in EBVnGC. These results suggest that identification of SPEM should be used as a high-risk indicator for detecting early gastric carcinoma, and should be brought to the attention of pathologists and clinicians.



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