Helicobacter pylori and gastric cancer

Abstract

Background: Patients infected with Helicobacter pylori, a stomach colonizing bacteria, have an increased risk of developing gastric malignancies, in particular gastric carcinomas.

Aim: This review was aimed to analyze the relationship between gastric carcinoma and Helicobacter pylori infection and to rule out the possibility of preventive measures.

Methods: To identify articles for this review, a PubMed search was conducted using the following key words: gastric cancer, Helicobacter pylori.

Results: The risk for developing cancer includes environmental, host-genetic and bacterial factors, which induce physiologic and histologic changes in the stomach. There are two major pathways for the development of gastric cancer by helicobacter pylori: the indirect action on gastric epithelial cells through inflammation leading to gastric atrophy and intestinal metaplasia and the direct action through the induction of protein modulation and gene mutation.