Eradicating Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection early could become an important strategy for preventing gastric cancer, Nobel laureate and gastroenterologist Dr.
Barry Marshall said, stressing the need for wider testing, appropriate treatment and confirmation that the infection has been cleared.
Dr. “H. pylori is much more than an ulcer organism. If the infection persists for many years, it can cause chronic inflammation in the stomach and increase the risk of gastric cancer. “India has a very large population with H. pylori , so it is an important setting for research.
Because this is a potentially preventable cause of cancer,” Dr, that gives us an opportunity. Marshall , who shared the 2005 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Robin Warren for their discovery of H. pylori and its role in gastritis and peptic ulcer disease, said the bacterium should no longer be regarded only as a cause of ulcers. Held in India for the first time, the four-day event, which concluded on October 3, brought together around 3,000 delegates from 61 countries to discuss the changing global burden of gastrointestinal and liver diseases, including H. pylori infection, gastric cancer prevention, early diagnosis and treatment.
Marshall told PTI . We need to understand which strains are circulating, what antibiotics are still effective and how we can make testing and treatment accessible,” he said. Indian recommendations have included bismuth-containing quadruple therapy in areas with high clarithromycin resistance, highlighting the importance of regional resistance patterns in treatment decisions, according to the IARC guidance.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) working group has recommended such programmes in populations where the benefits are expected to outweigh potential harms. The IARC guidance similarly emphasises antibiotic stewardship, treatment based on local resistance patterns and follow-up testing to determine whether eradication has been successful.
