[Precancerous lesions of gastric cancer (I): incidence in 2 population groups: symptomatic and asymptomatic].

We analyzed 850 gastric biopsy specimens: 643 were obtained from patients with gastric symptoms, and 207 from apparently normal individuals. We evaluated the incidence of precancerous lesions (PL) of the stomach (chronic atrophic gastritis, intestinal metaplasia and gastric dysplasia) in both groups of patients (symptomatic and assymptomatic). We also studied the relationship between these lesions and diverse clinical and morphological parameters (age, sex, location and endoscopic findings). Our results indicate a higher incidence than expected of PL in an area of low risk of the gastric cancer, both in symptomatic patients (CAG: 65%, IM: 50% and GD: 23%) and in the normal population (CAG: 24%, IM: 17.4% and GD: 2%). These lesions were preferentially located in the antral region and the antro-corporal transitional zone. The incidence of the PL was highest in patients 50 and 60 years of age. These parameters should be considered as risk factors in the development of a gastric carcinoma of the intestinal type.