Another study has contributed to the growing body of evidence linking Helicobacter pylori, to the development of gastric cancers. Uemura et al., prospectively studied 1,526 Japanese patients who had duodenal ulcers, gastric ulcers, gastric hyperplasia or non-ulcer dyspepsia at the time of study enrollment. Of these, 1,246 had H. pylori infection, and 280 did not.
The researchers found that gastric cancers developed in 2.9% of the H. pylori infected individuals and none of the uninfected patients. Among the H. pylori infected patients, those with severe gastric atrophy, corpuscle-predominant gastritis and intestinal metaplasia, were at significantly higher risk for developing gastric cancer.
Source
- Uemura, N, Okamoto, S, Yamamoto, S et al. Helicobacter pylori infection and the development of gastric cancer. New England Journal of Medicine. 2001; 345:784-789.
