HELICOBACTER-PYLORI IN PATIENTS WITH GASTRIC AND NONGASTRIC CANCER

Objectives: To compare the seroprevalence of Helicobacter pylori in ga stric and nongastric carcinoma patients and to investigate the relatio nship between H. pylori, gastric cancer site, and histological type. M ethods: In a 24-month period, 307 gastric cancer patients (male/female : 185/122; age range 19-94 yr, mean 69 yr) were investigated by serolo gy (IgG to H. pylori), histology, and urease test for H. pylori. One h undred and seventy-seven gastric cancers were in the antrum, 98 were i n the corpus, and 32 were in the fundus; 227 were intestinal and 80 we re diffuse type, In the same study period, we assessed the H. pylori s eroprevalence in 162 patients with nongastric carcinoma (lung n = 41, breast n = 42, genitourinary n = 41, GI tract n = 22, others n = 16) ( male/female: 84/78; age range 31-81 yr, mean 56 yr). Results: The over all seroprevalence of H. pylori in gastric cancer and in nongastric ca ncer was 82 and 56%, respectively (p < 0.001). in asymptomatic blood d onors (age range 55-65 yr) and in dyspeptic patients older than 60 yr, a seroprevalence of 55 and 58% was found, respectively, which is sign ificantly lower (p > 0.001) than the gastric cancer patients but simil ar to the nongastric cancer population. No difference was found in the H. pylori status according to the gastric cancer site (83, 82, and 81 % in the antrum, corpus, and fundus, respectively). Two hundred and tw enty-seven gastric cancers [185 (81%) H. pylori-positive] were found t o be of an intestinal type and 80 [66 (82%) H. pylori-positive] of a d iffuse type (not significant). No age-related difference (below and ab ove 60 yr) in H. pylori prevalence was observed within each cancer pop ulation, and, in both age groups, the seroprevalence of infection was higher in gastric cancer patients (86 and 81%) than in nongastric canc er patients (56 and 56%) (below and above 60 yr, respectively). Conclu sion: H. pylori seroprevalence is significantly higher in gastric canc er compared with nongastric cancer patients. No differences were obser ved in H. pylori seroprevalence according to gastric cancer site or hi stological type. The higher H. pylori seroprevalence in gastric cancer patients is not age related.