14 Sep H. pylori Link to Stomach Cancer Strengthened

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Dr. Salama

Nina R. Salama. PhD
Member Human Biology Division
Member Public Health Sciences Division
Affiliate Member Basic Sciences Division
Dr. Penny E. Petersen Memorial Chair for Lymphoma Research
Director of Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB) Graduate Program
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center 

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Response: We wanted to better understand why certain patients infected with H. pylori developed stomach cancer and how we could better identify them. H. pylori is one of the strongest risk factors for stomach cancer, but how much it predisposes individuals to gastric cancer varies around the world.

Working closely with colleagues from Zhengzhou University, we ran tests on 49 samples from China and found that 91 percent of patients infected with the EPIYA D gene variant of H. pylori also had stomach cancer.

MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?

Response: H. pylori is one of the only bacterial infections that can cause cancer. Stomach cancer is one of the most prevalent and deadly types of cancer in the world. We’re hopeful that our study can eventually help identify the highest risk groups and help doctors better screen and treat patients. 

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this work?

Response: Confirming the findings will require a much larger study of either previously collected samples or new samples from H. pylori infected patients. 

MedicalResearch.com: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Response: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the National Cancer Institute and the Henan Science and Technology Breakthrough Project funded this study.

Citation:

Sarah Talarico, Christina K. Leverich, Bing Wei, Jie Ma, XinGuang Cao, YongJun Guo, GuangSen Han, Lena Yao, Steve Self, Yuzhou Zhao, Nina R. Salama. Increased H. pylori stool shedding and EPIYA-D cagA alleles are associated with gastric cancer in an East Asian hospital. PLOS ONE, 2018; 13 (9): e0202925 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0202925 

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Last Updated on September 14, 2018 by Marie Benz MD FAAD