Gastric polyps: a retrospective cohort analysis of 23,668 endoscopies indicates changing epidemiological and phenotypic characteristics.

Introduction: Growing adoption of endoscopic procedures in clinical practice has gradually increase the detection rate of gastric polypoid lesions.

Aim: To identify the epidemiologic characteristics of gastric polyps as well as changes of these parameters during a 15-year period.

Material and methods: We reviewed all the upper endoscopies archived in our database reporting a polypoid lesion from 2003 to 2018. Demographic data, indication for endoscopy, morphological characteristics of polyps, histology, and presence of Helicobacter pylori were collected. We compared the abovementioned data between 2 periods: 2003-2010 and 2010-2018.

Results: A total of 989 (4.2%) patients from 23,668 reviewed were identified to harbour a polypoid lesion. Mean patient age was 63.2 years, with 58.8% being female. Most polyps (65.2%) were less than 5 mm in diameter and located in the fundus. Hyperplastic polyps (HPs) were the predominant type (28.6%) while fundic gland polyps (FGPs) were found in 24.1% of patients. Adenomas were the least common type (2.7%). Other pathology was identified in 43.3%. Comparison between the 2 periods revealed a rise of FGPs against HPs with a concomitant shift of location from antrum to fundus and an increase in the number of polyps per patient.

Conclusions: FGPs and HPs were the most common polyps found in our cohort, with a change of their pattern during the 15 years. It is imperative to acknowledge the distinct characteristics of gastric polyps so as to properly assess the malignant potential that some of them, or their surrounding gastric mucosa, harbour.