The aim of the present study was to evaluate the expression of genes involved in the control of proliferation and apoptosis, analysing the transcript level of Bax, Bcl-2 and PCNA in gastric cancer (GC) and in atrophic gastritis and/or intestinal metaplasia in adjacent mucosa to gastric cancer (AG/IM GC+), as well as in atrophic gastritis and/or intestinal metaplasia in patients without gastric cancer (AG/IM GC-) and in control biopsy samples of non-transformed gastric mucosa from subjects with functional dyspepsia. The gene discussed is PCNA; the disease is chronic atrophic gastritis.