Long-term follow-up of pepsinogen I/II ratio after eradication of Helicobacter pylori in patients who underwent endoscopic mucosal resection for gastric cancer

Background Although the pepsinogen I/II (PGI/II) ratio after Helicobacter pylori eradication is recovered at short-term follow-up, long-term follow-up studies of PGI/II are rare. Methods A total of 773 patients with gastric cancer who underwent endoscopic resection and pepsinogen and H. pylori tests were enrolled. H. pylori was eradicated in these patients. Endoscopic and pepsinogen tests were performed every year. A low PGI/II ratio was defined as ≤3. Results The PGI/II ratio was higher in non-infected patients (n = 275, 4.99) than infected patients (n = 498, 3.53). After H. pylori eradication, the PGI/II ratio increased to 5.81 and 5.63 after 1 and 2 years (each p < 0.05). The PGI/II ratio in the non-eradication group decreased to 3.94 and 2.75 after 1 and 2 years. The PGI/II ratio in the H. pylori eradication group became similar to that of the H. pylori-negative group at 3 (4.48 vs. 4.34), 4 (4.88 vs. 4.34), and 5 years (4.89 vs. 4.23). The adjusted odds ratios for a lower PG I/II ratio in the non-eradication group compared to the eradication group were 4.78 (95% CI 2.15–10.67) after 1 year and 8.13 (95% CI 2.56–25.83) after 2 years. Conclusions After H. pylori eradication, the PGI/II ratio increased and was similar to that of H. pylori-negative controls for up to 5 years of follow-up.