Helicobacter pylori and gastric cancer

Abstract

Introduction: Helicobacter pylori has been linked to the development of chronic atrophic gastritis, intestinal metaplasia, and dysplasia, lesions that can progress to gastric carcinoma. There is research showing that the eradication of this bacterium reduces the risk of histopathological progression of preneoplastic lesions, except for intestinal metaplasia and dysplasia. A bibliographic review was made of the articles published in the Pubmed, Scielo, Medline and Cochrane data bases, related to the topic, belonging to authors dedicated to the study of this problem. Objective: To go deepen in the knowledge related to Helicobacter pylori infection and gastric cancer. Development: Adenocarcinoma is the most frequent gastric tumor and Helicobacter pylori is the main etiologic agent. In high-risk populations, gastric adenocarcinoma of the intestinal type, is preceded by preneoplasic lesions (atrophy, intestinal metaplasia, and dysplasia), that progresses to invasive cancer. Conclusions: Helicobacter pylori favors gastric carcinogenesis, although there are other risk factors for the development of gastric cancer such as: family history, poor intake of fruits and vegetables, and low socioeconomic level.