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In 2022, the gastro-oesophageal junctional zone (GOJZ) was proposed at the International Consensus Conference in Kyoto as the area extending 1 cm proximally and 1 cm distally from the gastro-oesophageal junction (GOJ), defined by the distal end of the palisade vessels (DEPV).1 2 The definition of GOJ remains a matter of debate. In the globally recognised GOJ cancer classification, a Siewert type II tumour is an adenocarcinoma located 1 cm above to 2 cm below the GOJ, representing a ‘true carcinoma of the cardia’.3 Although the distribution of cardiac glands should determine GOJZ, distinction between native cardiac glands and metaplastic changes at the GOJZ remains a histological challenge due to conventional H&E staining limitations. The previous studies failed to differentiate between pyloric/pseudopyloric metaplasia and cardiac or oxyntocardiac glands, as they did not use immunohistochemical stainings of pepsinogen I (PPGI).