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Intestinal metaplasia (IM), a premalignant lesion, is associated with an increased risk of gastric cancer. Although estrogen exposure, including tamoxifen, has been studied in correlation with gastric cancer, little has been investigated about its effects on IM.Therefore, we investigated whether chronic tamoxifen use was associated with the risk of IM in human stomach.We evaluated 512 gastric biopsies from 433 female breast cancer patients that underwent endoscopic gastroduodenoscopy (EGD) ≥6 months after breast surgery. Histopathological findings were scored according to the updated Sydney classification. Demographic and clinical characteristics were also included to identify predictive factors for IM.In a multivariate logistic regression analysis, age at EGD (odds ratio [OR], 1.04; P = 0.002), biopsies from antrum (OR 2.08; P0.001), and Helicobacter pylori positivity (OR 1.68; P = 0.016) were significantly associated with an increased risk of IM, whereas chronic tamoxifen use (≥3 months) was associated with a decreased risk of IM (OR 0.59; P = 0.025). After stratifying by biopsy site, association between tamoxifen use and IM persisted for corpus (OR 0.42; P = 0.026) but not for antrum (OR 0.74; P = 0.327). In analysis limited to patients with follow-up EGD, chronic tamoxifen use also correlated with improved IM score compared to no tamoxifen use (improved, 77.8 vs. 22.2%; no change, 65.4 vs. 34.6%; worsened, 30.0 vs. 70.0%; P = 0.019).This study suggests that chronic tamoxifen use can decrease the risk of IM in human stomach. The effect of tamoxifen is predominantly observed in the corpus.

Background and Aims It has been suggested that bowel preparation quality may influence decision-making about appropriate follow-up interval after screening colonoscopy. We sought: (1) to assess physician recommendations for timing of subsequent colonoscopy in average-risk patients with inadequate bowel preparation on initial screening, and (2) to measure the association between physician recommendations and patient adherence to repeat colonoscopy.

The US Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer published guidelines for colonoscopy screening and surveillance in 2008 and affirmed them in 2012. Characteristics associated with guideline adherence among US gastroenterologists have not been assessed.Assess awareness and adherence of US gastroenterologists with national guidelines for colonoscopy screening and surveillance and predictors of adherence to guidelines.A Web-based survey was administered to gastroenterologists in various practice settings across the USA.A total of 306 gastroenterologists completed the survey; 86 % reported awareness of the guidelines. Low-volume colonoscopists (20/month) were less likely to be aware of the guidelines (OR 0.26, p = 0.03) compared to high-volume colonoscopists (100/month). Those completing training before 1990 were less likely to report following guidelines (OR 0.37, p = 0.01). Adherence with guidelines was then assessed via clinical scenarios. Compared to physicians finishing training in 1991-2010, less adherence was seen in those finishing before 1990 (OR 0.75, p0.001) or currently in training (OR 0.72, p = 0.004). Compared to the Western USA, less adherence was seen in the Midwest (OR 0.69, p = 0.001), Northeast (OR 0.63, p0.001), and South (OR 0.59, p0.001). Lower adherence was seen among non-academic physicians (OR 0.72, p = 0.001) and low-volume colonoscopists (OR 0.52, p0.001).There is poor adherence with colonoscopy screening and surveillance guidelines among US gastroenterologists. Poor adherence was associated with being in training or finishing training before 1990, practicing in the South, non-academic settings, and low colonoscopy volume. These findings can target interventions for quality improvement in colorectal cancer screening and surveillance.