Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41324807›Full record

ArticleJournal of gastrointestinal cancer2025

Re-evaluating Gastric Ulcer Re-evaluation: Low Malignancy Yield and High Cost in a 19-Year Retrospective Cohort Study.

Thomas Matthews, Mark Vesey, Aditya Billur, Gayle Bennett, Barry Kelleher, Conor Lahiff, Jan Leyden, Navneet Ramlaul, Stephen Stewart, Orla Craig

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Article in Journal of gastrointestinal cancer, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

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No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Thomas MatthewsDepartment of Gastroenterology, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland. thomasmatthews@mater.ie.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8562-5963
Mark VeseyDepartment of Gastroenterology, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
Aditya BillurSchool of Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
Gayle BennettDepartment of Gastroenterology, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
Barry KelleherDepartment of Gastroenterology, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
Conor LahiffDepartment of Gastroenterology, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
Jan LeydenDepartment of Gastroenterology, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
Navneet RamlaulDepartment of Gastroenterology, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
Stephen StewartDepartment of Gastroenterology, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
Orla CraigDepartment of Gastroenterology, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundRoutine endoscopic re-evaluation of gastric ulcers (GUs) is widely recommended to exclude malignancy. However, in modern practice, particularly in low-to-intermediate gastric cancer prevalence settings, the diagnostic yield, cost-effectiveness, and necessity of universal surveillance are increasingly debated.

objectiveTo evaluate compliance with British and Irish guidelines recommending repeat gastroscopy for GUs, identify predictors of malignancy, and assess the diagnostic yield and healthcare cost of ulcer re-evaluation in a large tertiary centre.

methodsWe retrospectively analysed 2132 index GUs from 56,874 gastroscopies performed between May 2006 and August 2024. Demographic, endoscopic, and histological data were collected. Malignancy outcomes were determined by cross-referencing with histology databases. Binary logistic regression identified predictors of malignancy. Surveillance rates, ulcer healing, and inflation-adjusted costs were assessed.

resultsEighty-six ulcers (4%) were diagnosed as gastric malignancies. Of these, 96% were identified at index histology; three were diagnosed at short-interval re-evaluation following inadequate or false-negative biopsies. No malignancies were detected during routine surveillance of benign-appearing ulcers with adequate histology. Macroscopic concern was the strongest predictor of malignancy (odds ratio 66.9, p < 0.01), alongside older age, male sex, and non-antral ulcer location. Surveillance was performed in 59% of benign ulcers at a mean interval of 12.5 weeks. None of the 837 patients with benign ulcers who did not undergo re-evaluation developed gastric cancer during 19 years of follow-up. Re-evaluation procedures represented 2.5% of total endoscopy workload, at a cumulative cost of €1,028,016.

conclusionRoutine re-evaluation of GUs that appear benign and have adequate negative histology provided minimal diagnostic benefit while generating significant healthcare costs. A selective approach, focusing on ulcers with suspicious endoscopic features, inadequate biopsies, or unresolved symptoms, would better allocate resources and avoid unnecessary procedures.

Indexed as

GastroscopyHealth Care CostsStomach NeoplasmsStomach UlcerAdultAgedAged, 80 and overCost-Benefit AnalysisFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesBiopsyGastroscopyHealthcare costsStomach neoplasmsStomach ulcer

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.