VIDEO: H. pylori eradication may ‘reduce burden of gastric cancer’ among vulnerable groups
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In a Healio video exclusive, Shria Kumar, MD, MSCE, discusses how community-based eradication of Helicobacter pylori infection may reduce the risk for gastric cancer in historically underrepresented communities and other vulnerable groups.
“H. pylori is a cause of gastric cancer,” Kumar, a gastroenterologist and clinical epidemiologist at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, told Healio. “It’s considered a group 1 carcinogen by the World Health Organization, and it’s well-established that eradicating H. pylori leads to a decreased risk of gastric cancer in the U.S.”
In a follow-up to a previous study, which showed that confirmed eradication of H. pylori after treatment decreased the risk for gastric cancer by 75%, Kumar and colleagues conducted a community-based study to determine whether targeted H. pylori testing could reduce gastric cancer burden in a high-risk, underserved population in South Florida.
Of 155 individuals tested, 52 had H. pylori infection and were treated, but only 22 returned for retesting and 10 did not complete treatment. According to results published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, those with H. pylori infection were more likely to be Hispanic or Latino, younger, non-English speakers and born in Central or South America.
“Those who took the antibiotics had good efficacy in terms of eradication — in the high 90th percentile,” Kumar said. “Unfortunately, our intention-to-treat eradication rate was only 42%.”
This demonstrates a need for “system-based approaches to reduce the burden of gastric cancer,” she added, noting that while it does not make sense to screen everyone for H. pylori, since gastric cancer is relatively rare, it is important to recognize that certain populations are more vulnerable.
“Racial and ethnic minorities, including African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, immigrants from high incidence countries and native populations, are more likely to be impacted both by H. Pylori and gastric cancer,” Kumar said.
“If we can identify ways to hone in on people who are likely to have H. pylori, particularly that would lead to gastric cancer, we could use that to target H. Pylori eradication and reduce the burden of gastric cancer.”
References:
- Kumar S, et al. Gastroenterology. 2019;doi:10.1053/j.gastro.2019.10.019.
- Kumar S, et al. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2024;doi:10.1016/j.cgh.2024.03.008.
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