Genomic and Epigenomic Analysis of High-Risk Intestinal Metaplasia Reveals Molecular Determinants of Gastric Cancer Progression

Metaplasia of the gastric epithelia (intestinal metaplasia, IM) is a pre-malignant lesion associated with increased gastric cancer (GC) risk. Employing high-depth targeted sequencing of >750 cancer genes and DNA methylation arrays, we surveyed 205 non-malignant gastric tissues including 140 IMs, obtained from 148 cancer-free patients through a 10-year prospective clinical study.