Pepsinogen I, pepsinogen II, gastrin-17, and Helicobacter pylori serological biomarkers in the diagnosis of precursor lesions of gastric cancer

Introduction Atrophic gastritis and intestinal metaplasia are precursor lesions of gastric cancer. The aim of this study was to determine the usefulness of the biomarkers pepsinogen I(PgI), pepsinogen II (PgII), gastrin-17, and H. pylori antibodies in the identification of precursor lesions. Methods We studied 129 patients with gastric symptoms. The biomarker status was determined using GastroPanel by means of the ELISA-technique. Results Biomarkers detected atrophy in 14% of the subjects, and 49.6% had positive antibodies for H. pylori. A PgI/PgII ratio < 3 was an important risk biomarker for precursor lesions in our population (OR = 9.171, 95% CI: 1.723–48.799, p = 0.009); however, biomarkers showed low accuracy with histopathological study. Conclusions In the Western Mexican population, precursor lesions (AG, IM) are common in adults (45%) with dyspepsia but infrequent in children (8%). H. pylori infection was detected in 41.3% of adults and 16.0% of children. Of the studied biomarkers, a PgI/PgII ratio < 3 was an important risk factor for precursor lesions such as AG or IM in our population, with an OR of 9.171 (95% CI: 1.723–48.799, p = 0.009).