TY - JOUR T1 - Author's response: <em>Helicobacter pylori</em> eradication and gastric cancer prevention JF - Gut JO - Gut SP - 950 LP - 951 DO - 10.1136/gutjnl-2012-303564 VL - 62 IS - 6 AU - Peter Malfertheiner Y1 - 2013/06/01 UR - http://gut.bmj.com/content/62/6/950.2.abstract N2 - Dr Zhu Wang and coauthors write a critical note1 regarding the important issue of Helicobacter pylori eradication aiming at the prevention of gastric cancer and challenge the statement made in the Maastricht IV–Florence Consensus Report.The statement in the Maastricht IV–Florence Consensus Report intends to drive actions against gastric cancer by using H. pylori eradication as there are few beneficial alternative strategies.Gastric cancer is detected in most cases in advanced and non-curable stages. Screening strategies based on radiography, upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and serum pepsinogens for detection of early gastric cancer with the chance for cure have successfully been adopted so far only in Japan and Korea.2–4 There are several arguments for adopting a screen-and-treat strategy with its potential to prevent gastric cancer. H. pylori is the key trigger in the multifactorial complexity of gastric cancer based on direct and indirect evidences that include results from epidemiological and basic research studies as well as from clinical observations … ER -