Gastric cancer detection following the reduction of hyperplastic polyps after <i>Helicobacter pylori</i> eradication: A case report

A 74-year-old man who had undergone colon cancer surgery at 5 years prior to his presentation was referred by his surgeon for elevated tumor marker. Preoperative examination only revealed atrophic gastritis and a single polyp. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) showed hyperplastic polyps over a large area of the gastric body, making it difficult to search for any malignancies. At 3 months after Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication, remarkable reduction of hyperplastic polyps was observed. Gastric cancer was also detected on the lower gastric body. The average time to the disappearance of gastric hyperplastic polyps after H. pylori eradication reportedly is 7 months. In the present case, EGD was performed at approximately 3 months after confirming eradication, and gastric cancer was found. Therefore, early EGD re-examination after H. pylori eradication is necessary in patients with significant gastric hyperplastic polyps that make the diagnosis of gastric cancer difficult.