Long‐term lansoprazole control of gastric acid and pepsin secretion in ZE and non‐ZE hypersecretors: a prospective 10‐year study

Background: The majority of patients with Zollinger–Ellison syndrome require lifelong treatment with proton pump inhibitors. Aims: To determine the efficacy of lansoprazole control of acid and pepsin secretion over the long term in Zollinger–Ellison syndrome and non‐Zollinger–Ellison syndrome hypersecretors. Methods: Sixty‐three hypersecretors (basal acid output > 15 mmol/h), 46 Zollinger–Ellison syndrome and 17 non‐Zollinger–Ellison syndrome, with a total history of 15.4 and 19.2 years, respectively, were entered into a long‐term prospective study using lansoprazole. Sixty‐one were studied every 3 months for 1 year and then every 3–6 months up to 10 years during lansoprazole treatment with endoscopy, serum gastrin and gastric analysis, measuring both basal and stimulated pH and acid and pepsin secretion. Doses were individually optimized and adjusted to keep the basal acid output at 3.4 during therapy. Serum gastrin in Zollinger–Ellison syndrome patients, after excluding five outliers, did not change over the course of therapy, but doubled in non‐Zollinger–Ellison syndrome patients. There were no adverse events due to lansoprazole, and routine laboratory studies remained normal. Conclusions: The dose of lansoprazole for hypersecretors cannot be predicted, and thus needs to be optimized empirically on an individual basis. With continued periodic adjustments, almost half the patients required increased doses, while safe dose reduction was possible in only one‐quarter. When individually optimized, lansoprazole proved to be safe and effective in the control of secretion for the treatment of both Zollinger–Ellison syndrome and non‐Zollinger–Ellison syndrome hypersecretors for up to 10 years.