| Theme |
Up‒to‒date of the Protection of Gastroenterological Cancers |
| Title |
Helicobacter pylori and Gastric Cancer |
| Author |
Yoshiaki Nakamura |
Division of Epigenomics, National Cancer Center Research Institute / Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, National Cancer Center Hospital East |
| Author |
Toshikazu Ushijima |
Division of Epigenomics, National Cancer Center Research Institute |
| [ Summary ] |
Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is the major cause of gastric cancer. Recent studies have shown that H. pylori infection causes gastric cancer by inducing gene mutations, aberrant DNA methylation, and disturbance of intracellular signaling pathways. Point mutations and aberrant DNA methylation are accumulated even in normal‒appearing mucosa, forming a field for cancerization. Eradication of H. pylori has been utilized for the prevention of gastric cancer in healthy individuals as well as gastric cancer patients who have undergone endoscopic mucosal resection. The accumulation of aberrant DNA methylation is a promising cancer risk marker. |