Seropositivity to Helicobacter pylori and risk of pancreatic cancer

Abstract

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) seropositivity has been inconsistently associated with pancreatic cancer. We, therefore, investigated the association between H. pylori seropositivity and pancreatic cancer in a case-control study nested within Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study (ATBC) cohort of Finnish male smokers. Pancreatic cancer cases (n = 353) and control subjects (n = 353) were matched on date of baseline serum collection, age at randomization, and follow-up time (up to 23.9 years). We used a multiplex serology assay to determine the sero-status of antibodies against 15 H. pylori-specific antigens in fasting serum samples. Conditional logistic regression was used to calculate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Neither targeted H. pylori antigens in serum nor the combination of all was associated with development of pancreatic cancer (combination of all: OR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.49-1.49). Our results suggest that H. pylori is not a risk factor for pancreatic cancer. © 2013 AACR.