A Single-Center Follow-Up Study of Low-Grade Gastric Intraepithelial Neoplasia and the Screening of Key Genes of Precancerous Lesions

Xiao-Xu Jin; Xiao-Li Xie; Fu Niu; Kai-Ge Yin; Chen-Guang Ji; Jin-Feng Cui; Li Liu; Zhi-Jie Feng

doi:10.3389/fonc.2022.899055

A Single-Center Follow-Up Study of Low-Grade Gastric Intraepithelial Neoplasia and the Screening of Key Genes of Precancerous Lesions

Front Oncol. 2022 Jun 30:12:899055. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2022.899055. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Xiao-Xu Jin¹, Xiao-Li Xie¹, Fu Niu², Kai-Ge Yin¹, Chen-Guang Ji¹, Jin-Feng Cui¹, Li Liu¹, Zhi-Jie Feng¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Gastroenterology, Hebei Institute of Gastroenterology, Hebei Clinical Research Center for Digestive Diseases, Shijiazhuang, China.
² Department of Palliative Treatment, The Eighth People's Hospital of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, China.

Abstract

Objective: The study aimed to summarize the morphological characteristics of low-grade gastric intraepithelial neoplasia (LGIN) and explore its outcomes and risk factors. Additionally, it aimed to screen the core different expression genes (DEGs) of high-grade gastric intraepithelial neoplasia (HGIN) using bioinformatics methods to identify biomarkers for early gastric cancer outcomes.

Methods: The clinical and pathological data of 449 patients with LGIN in the endoscopy center of the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University from June 2013 to September 2018 were collected for retrospective analysis. The GSE130823 and GSE55696 data sets were selected from the Gene Expression Omnibus database, and the GEO2R tool was used to screen DEGs in HGIN and chronic gastritis tissue types. A DEG functional enrichment analysis was conducted using the Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery. The STRING database was utilized to create a protein-protein interaction network, and the CytoHubba plug-in was used to screen the key genes of HGIN.

Results: The incidence of LGIN increased with age, and most of the patients were aged between 45-59 years (P = 0.048). Lesions were found mainly in the cardia, mostly in people aged 60 (P < 0.05). Progression occurred in 42 of 449 patients, with a 9.4% rate of cancer development. Foci larger than 10 mm, ulcerative lesions, and an Helicobacter pylori-positive result were factors affecting the outcome of LGIN (P < 0.05). Seven core genes of HGIN were screened, including MYC, SOX2, CDX2, TBX3, KRT7, CDKN2A, and MUC5AC.

Conclusion: The patients with LGIN reflected the potential for developing cancer. A magnifying gastroscope can contribute to the detection of early gastric cancer. Additionally, the MYC, CDX2, and TBX3 genes may act as specific biomarkers of HGIN.

Keywords: database; follow-up study; gastric cancer; key genes; risk factors.