Gastric polyps are not created equal: Know your enemy

Abstract

Gastric polyps are commonly detected during upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. They are most often benign and rarely become malignant. Nevertheless, adequate knowledge, diagnostic modalities, and management strategies should be the endoscopist’s readily available “weapons” to defeat the potentially malignant “enemies”. This article sheds light on the valuable effort by Costa et al to generate a new classification system of gastric polyps as “good”, “bad”, and “ugly”. This comprehensive overview provides clinicians with a simplified decision-making process.

Keywords: Gastric polyps; Polypoid subepithelial lesions; Early gastric cancer; Endoscopic ultrasonography; Electronic chromoendoscopy

Core Tip: Knowing and understanding the risks associated with gastric polyps (GPs) is an important step in diagnosing and managing them. Knowing “when to do”, “what to do”, and “how to do” is important for not missing any significant pre-malignant GPs. A good classification reinforces the clinical prerequisites for endoscopists when dealing with GPs during upper gastrointestinal endoscopy.