Although atrophic gastritis is considered to be a pre-cancerous disease, it is not necessarily related to gastric cancer. Atrophic gastritis is generally a degenerative change and is not directly cancerous. If incomplete colonization or even heterogeneous hyperplasia (atypical hyperplasia) occurs on top of atrophic gastritis
Only then there is a possibility of developing into gastric cancer, and only moderate or severe heterogeneous hyperplasia is the most direct precancerous lesion. It takes a long process from atrophic gastritis through incomplete colonization and mild, moderate or severe heterogeneous hyperplasia to cancer. Therefore, there is no need to worry too much about simple atrophic gastritis. If there are no obvious symptoms, a follow-up gastroscopy once in two or three years is usually sufficient.