Correlation between Magnifying Narrow-band Imaging Endoscopy Results and Organoid Differentiation Indicated by Cancer Cell Differentiation and its Distribution in Depressed-Type Early Gastric Carcinoma

Background: A close association between patterns identified by magnifying narrow-band imaging (M-NBI)and histological type has been described. M-NBI patterns were also recently reported to be related to the mucinphenotype; however, detials remain unclear. Materials and
Methods: We investigated the cellular differentiationof gastric cancer lesions, along with their mucosal distribution observed by M-NBI. Ninety-seven depressed-typeearly gastric cancer lesions (74 differentiated and 23 undifferentiated adenocarcinomas) were visualized by M-NBI.Findings were divided into 4 patterns based on abnormal microvascular architecture: a chain loop pattern (CLP),a fine network pattern (FNP), a corkscrew pattern (CSP), and an unclassified pattern. Mucin phenotypes werejudged as gastric (G-type), intestinal (I-type), mixed gastric and intestinal (M-type), and null (N-type) based on 4markers (MAC5AC, MUC6, MUC2, and CD10). The relationship of each pattern of microvascular architecturewith organoid differentiation indicated by cancer cell differentiation and its distribution in each histologicaltype of early gastric cancer was investigated.
Results: All CLP and FNP lesions were differentiated. The cancercell distribution showed organoid differentiation in 84.2% (16/19) and 61.1% (22/36) of the two types of lesions,respectively, and there was a significant difference from the unclassified pattern with organoid differentiation(p<0.001). Almost all (94.7%; 18/19) CSP lesions were undifferentiated, and organoid differentiation was observedin 72.2% (13/18). There was a significant difference from the unclassified pattern with organoid differentiation(p<0.05).
Conclusions: Cellular differentiation and distribution are associated with microvascular architectureobserved by M-NBI.