In France, between 6,000 and 7,000 stomach cancer are diagnosed each year and 4,500 people die from it because the diagnosis is rarely early. 90% of these cancers are due to colonization of the stomach lining by the Helicobacter pylori bacteria. About 3 in 10 people are infected with this bacteria which will most often cause an ulcer. But 1 in 100 times the infection will create stomach cancer.
“The association demonstrated between H. pylori infection and gastric cancer is as strong as that between tobacco and lung cancer”declares to Figaro Prof. Tamara Matysiak-Budnik, gastroenterologist and oncologist at Nantes University Hospital.
A bacteria that can be eliminated with antibiotics
Luckily, it is possible to detect the bacteria by gastric fibroscopy. And once detected, it is possible to get rid of it with the help of antibiotic treatment. The effectiveness of the antibiotics is then checked by a simple breath test.
“Antibiotic eradication of H. pylori infection cures and reduces superficial gastritis and most atrophic gastritis, thus preventing stomach cancer” adds the doctor.
But this screening is not yet anchored in the habits of general practitioners. This is why the High Authority for Health (HAS) reminded that the testing for Helicobacter Pylori infection was recommended in cases of gastric or duodenal ulcer; chronic dyspepsia without visible lesions or in case of anemia by iron deficiency or deficiency in vitamin B12 without a found cause.
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