Gastric Antrum Thickening: How High Is The Risk Of Stomach Cancer?

When a patient is diagnosed with gastric antrum thickening, there is a significant probability of stomach cancer being the underlying cause. This condition can be attributed to several factors including gastric cancer, gastric lymphoma, and hypertrophic gastritis. Among these, gastric cancer is the most commonly associated condition, while lymphoma is relatively rare. Hypertrophic gastritis of the gastric antrum is also less common, making stomach cancer the most likely diagnosis.

Gastric antrum thickening is often detected through imaging techniques such as CT scans or gastroscopy, where swelling or increased wall thickness may be observed. One typical presentation is "linitis plastica" or leather bottle stomach, where cancer cells infiltrate the stomach wall beneath the mucosa, causing the stomach to become rigid and lose its normal flexibility. In such cases, doctors may notice thickening of the gastric wall, reduced motility, or impaired distension during examination.

Diagnosing this condition can be challenging, especially when repeated endoscopic biopsies fail to yield conclusive results. In these situations, experienced physicians may suspect linitis plastica based on clinical findings. To improve diagnostic accuracy, larger biopsy samples should be taken and submitted for histopathological analysis.

Comprehensive diagnostic evaluation should also include CT scans or contrast-enhanced CT to determine the extent of gastric wall thickening. In some cases, gastrointestinal contrast studies may be necessary to assess gastric motility and structural changes. While lymphoma and hypertrophic gastritis can also cause similar thickening, they are far less common than gastric cancer. Therefore, when gastric antrum thickening is identified, stomach cancer must be considered a high-probability diagnosis requiring prompt and thorough investigation.