Stomach Cancer Signs, Symptoms & Causes: Prevention Possible by Eliminating Ulcer-Causing Bacteria

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Eliminating common ulcer-causing bacteria with treatment courses that include antibiotics may help lower the risk of developing stomach cancer.

A new study published in the Cochrane Library reveals that eliminating the ulcer-causing bacteria, Helicobacter pylori, from the stomach may prevent the occurrence of stomach cancer. For those who are infected, the bacteria can be eradicated by using a combined treatment course of antibiotics, stomach antacids and proton pump inhibitors, according to UPI.

The Cochrane research team looked at six trials with more than 6,000 participants infected with H. pylori bacteria. They collected data based on trials, and made follow-ups after two years, with two participants who developed stomach cancer. Of those who were given antibiotic therapy, only 1.6 percent developed gastric cancer later, and in those who were given placebo treatment, 2.5 percent had cancer as well.

According to a press release published in Eureka Alert, H. pylori bacteria are linked to the development of stomach cancer, which is considered to be the third leading cause of death around the world.

Lead author Dr. Paul Moayyedi, professor at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, wanted to know if gastric cancer was preventable, and this prompted him to do the research. 

"For many years people have known that there's an association between H. pylori and gastric cancer," Dr. Moayyedi said via Forbes. He added that the question "made sense," however the results of the study only showed that eliminating H. pylori can prevent stomach or gastric cancer but it cannot prevent deaths from the disease.

Researchers are stumped as to why only some people with H. pylori infection get stomach cancer. In Forbes' report, Dr. Moayyedi commented that the bacteria are much more "virulent" in Asian countries because of the higher inflammation rates. He suggests that screening programs should be introduced in countries with high prevalence for stomach cancer.

The new analysis helped confirm previous studies on the association of the bacteria to stomach cancer, according to Casey Dunlop, an officer from Cancer Research UK.

"This is an interesting analysis of several different studies, which confirms that finding and treating H. pylori infection in otherwise healthy people without symptoms can reduce their chances of subsequently developing stomach cancer," Dunlop said in a news report by Cancer Research UK.

However, she added that further research needs to be conducted in order to determine if targeting H. pylori infection has more advantage than risks.

"But the benefits appear small, with the analysis suggesting that you would need to treat 124 people infected with H. pylori to prevent one case of stomach cancer," she explained.