Effect of Helicobacter Pylori Infection on Development of Gastric Cancer

Abstract

Gastric cancer is the most common cancer in the world which is multi-factorial and classified as diffuse and intestinal type. Approximately 40% of patients never report tumor-related symptoms before diagnosis, so most gastric cancer cases are advanced-type. Thus, prevention may be the most promising strategy for cancer control. some important risk factors are: older age(most people who are diagnosed are between age 60 and 80), male sex, tobacco smoking, alcohol, diet and family history, Helicobacter pylori infection(H. pylori is a Gram-negative bacteria with about 3.5 micron length and 0.5 micron width that specifically colonizes the gastric epithelium and it has infected nearly 50%of population) [1.2]. The development of the intestinal type pursues the consecutive procedure from superficial gastritis to chronic atrophic gastritis to intestinal metaplasia, then to dysplasia and finally to gastric adenocarcinoma .During occurrence gastric cancer, genetic predisposition, infection and diet are identified as part of a complex interaction, among which the ongoing local chronic inflammatory induced by H.pylori is likely to be one of major factors for gastric lymphoma development. However, only a small percentage of colonized individuals develop clinically apparent sequelae, although all persons carrying H.pylori have coexisting gastric inflammation [1]. Prevention from H.pylori is mainly based on behavior modifications. Prevention through dietary intervention would include increased fruit, allium, and non-starchy vegetable intake and reduced ingestion of salt or salt-preserved foods and N-nitroso compounds, also smoking cessation may lower the risk of the disease. [2] One of the most common cause of death, gastric cancer, can be diagnosed by a simple test and also might be treated based on the stage of the patient and where the cancer started in the stomach but generally it is better to prevent than to treat because prevention includes behavioral managements which are easier