Helicobacter pylori Eradication Halts Gastric Cancer

The use of eradication therapy to eliminate Helicobacter pylori infection in the stomach has resulted in a 60% response rate in patients suffering from low-grade gastric lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue, according to data presented by Dr E Roggero from the Ospedale San Giovanni, Switzerland, at the 19th Congress of the European Society of Medical Oncology. Eradication regimens used included amoxicillin, metronidazole and bismuth or omeprazole for 14 days, followed by second-line antibiotic therapy if required.

A total of 26 patients were enrolled into the trial (14 female and 12 male) and were investigated for H pylori colonization of the gut. The bacterium was present in 92% of cases, which is consistent with its classification earlier this year by the World Health Organization as a Class I carcinogen (Marketletter October 10).

The initial eradication regimen was successful in 81% of the infected patients, and the second-line therapy eradicated the organism in a further 81% of non-responders. The total eradication success rate was 96%.