Gastric Cancer Risk of Intestinal Metaplasia Subtypes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Cohort Studies

Intestinal metaplasia (IM) is an independent risk factor for gastric cancer (GC). However, the subtypes of IM as a risk factor for GC remain controversial. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the relationship between IM subtypes and GC risk. METHODS: Systematic searches were conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library for published cohort studies of patients with complete IM (type I) or incomplete IM (type II or type III) from inception to May 15, 2021. We extracted relevant data and calculated pooled risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) comparing the GC risk with IM subtypes. RESULTS: Twelve cohort studies comprising 6,498 individuals were included in the study. Compared with complete IM, the pooled relative risk of GC risk of patients with incomplete IM was 5.16 (95% CI, 3.28–8.12), and the GC risk of type III IM was the highest, with a pooled relative risk of 2.88 (95% CI, 1.37–6.04) compared with that of type II. Compared with complete IM, the pooled relative risk of dysplasia risk in patients with incomplete IM was 3.72 (95% CI, 1.42–9.72), and the dysplasia risk of type III IM was 11.73 (95% CI, 2.08–66.08) compared with that of type I. DISCUSSION: Patients with incomplete IM, especially type III, were at a higher risk of GC and dysplasia than those with complete IM. The current evidence indicates a potential correlation between IM subtypes and GC risk, which may support the use of IM subtypes in GC surveillance.