Lamb’s tripe extract and vitamin B(12 )capsule plus celecoxib reverses intestinal metaplasia and atrophy: A retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND: Chronic atrophic gastritis (AG) with intestinal metaplasia (IM) significantly increases the risk of gastric cancer. Some medicines have showed definite therapeutic effects in AG and IM regression. AIM: To validate the efficacy of Lamb’s tripe extract and vitamin B(12 )capsule (LTEVB(12)) initial therapy and celecoxib rescue therapy for IM and AG. METHODS: A total of 255 patients were included to receive LTEVB(12) initial therapy (2 capsules each time, three times daily for 6 mo) in hospital in this study. The patients with failure of IM regression continued to receive celecoxib rescue therapy (200 mg, once daily for 6 mo). After each therapy finished, the patients underwent endoscopy and biopsy examination. The regression efficiency was assessed by the operative link on gastritis assessment (OLGA) and the operative link on the gastric intestinal metaplasia assessment (OLGIM) staging system. Logistic regression analysis was applied to identify factors associated with the curative effect. RESULTS: For LTEVB(12) initial therapy, the reversal rates of IM and AG were 52.95% and 48.24%, respectively. Analogously, for celecoxib rescue therapy, the effective rates for IM and AG were 56.25% and 51.56%, respectively. The IM regression rate of complete therapy was up to 85.03%. In different OLGA and OLGIM stages of IM patients, therapeutic efficiency showed a significant difference in each group (P < 0.05). For both therapies, patients with high stages (III or IV) of both the OLGA and OLGIM evaluation systems showed a higher IM or AG regression rate than those with low stages (I or II). Among patients with high stages (OLGIM III and IV), the IM regression rate was above 70% for each therapy. Eating habits, fresh vegetable intake, and high-salt diet were identified as independent factors for the IM reversal effect of LTEVB(12) therapy, especially high-salt diet (odds ratio = 1.852, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Monotherapy could reverse IM and AG. LTEVB(12) initial therapy and celecoxib rescue therapy significantly increase the regression effect. IM may not be the point of no return among gastric precancerous lesions.