RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 The time to eradicate gastric cancer is now
JF Gut
JO Gut
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and British Society of Gastroenterology
SP 735
OP 738
DO 10.1136/gut.2004.056549
VO 54
IS 6
A1 D Y Graham
A1 A Shiotani
YR 2005
UL http://gut.bmj.com/content/54/6/735.1.abstract
AB Worldwide gastric cancer remains one of the most common cancers, killing upwards of one million people each year. While the molecular pathogenesis remains unclear, infection with the bacterium Helicobacter pylori is considered a “necessary but not sufficient” cause, not surprisingly as gastric cancer has long been known to be associated with atrophic gastritis. Eradication of H pylori is expected to virtually eliminate gastric cancer and H pylori associated peptic ulcer within approximately 40 years and thus reduce overall mortality. In the USA, the incidence of gastric cancer in the general population is low, reflecting the change in the pattern of gastritis from atrophic to non-atrophic and in the low and decreasing prevalence of H pylori infection in the middle and upper classes. However, the plan for eradication of this important pathogen must be considered within the context of the prevalence and outcome within specific populations.