Helicobacter Pylori

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Does Helicobacter Pylori Infection Play A Role In Lung Cancer?

Helicobacter pylori infection is a world-wide common disease and leads to many gastrointestinal and respiratory illnesses. It is suggested that one of these respiratory illnesses is lung cancer.

METHODS: Forty-three patients with non-small cell lung cancer and 28 control subjects have been included to this study. H. pylori status of the patients and controls was determined by immunoblot for the detection of IgG (RIDA Blot Helicobacter). All subjects were examined to evaluate the presence of VacA and CagA gene.

RESULTS: Seropositivity of anti H. pylori IgG was significantly higher in cancer patients than in control groups, 40 (93%) and 12 (42%), respectively (P<0.01). Although both VacA and CagA seropositivity was high in lung cancer patients, only VacA positivity was statistically significant when compared with control subjects, 35 (81%) and 11 (42%), respectively (P<0.05).

CONCLUSION: H. pylori infection may be associated with development of lung cancer

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Causal Role of Viruses and Bacteria in Cancer

Early in this century, Peyton Rous (2) established beyond doubt that cancer can be caused by an infectious agent in chickens. Since then, evidence has accumulated that other viruses cause cancer in a number of different animal species (94).

A growing body of research suggests that a number of viruses, bacteria, and parasites cause cancer in humans, thus providing new possibilities for treatment and prevention of cancer (94).

In 1997, the World Health Organization estimated that up to 84% of cases of some cancers are attributable to viruses, bacteria, and parasites and that more than 1.5 million (15%) new cases each year could be avoided by preventing the infectious disease associated with them (95).

H. pylori, found in the stomachs of a third of all adults in the United States, causes inflammation of the mucous membrane of the stomach (96). In 20% of infected persons,

H. pylori induces gastric ulcers (96). Peptic ulcer disease, a chronic inflammatory condition of the stomach and duodenum, affects as many as 10% of people in the United States at some time in their lives. In the early 20th century, pathogenesis was believed related to stress and dietary factors. Thus treatment focused on bed rest and bland food. Later, gastric ulcers were believed to be caused by the injurious effects of digestive secretions. Following the identification of the histamine receptor that appeared to be the principal mediator of gastric acid secretion, antagonists of this receptor were used for therapy for peptic ulcer disease.

In 1982, H. pylori was first isolated from the human stomach, but it was not until one decade later and after Marshall ingested pure cultures of the organism that causality was accepted by the medic al and scientific community (97).

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H. pylori May Affect the Heart As Well As the Gut

Although there aren’t many physicians in practice today who would question the fact that H. pylori is the principal cause of ulcers, there is still plenty of skepticism concerning other diseases in which this widespread bacterium may be implicated.

One of these is coronary heart disease (CHD), the number one killer of Americans. Since the mid-1990s, several studies have shown a provocative link between H. pylori infection and the risk for developing heart disease.

Among the earliest of these was a case-control study* that compared 111 CHD patients (white males aged 45–65) with 74 controls who did not have CHD.2 The results showed that 59% of the men with CHD had evidence of H. pylori infection, compared to a 39% infection rate in the controls. This difference was judged to be significant, based on statistical analysis of the data and controlling for other variables.

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