[THE ROL OF HELICOBACTER PYLORI IN GASTRODUODENALTUMOROUS PATHOLOGY]

There is great evidence that both gastric lymphoma andadenocarcinoma are related in their pathogenesis to Helicobacter pylori infection.It has been stablished that mucosa associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) is anacquired condition following H. pylorl infection and that B cell gastriclymphoma derives from this cell linage. Low grade MALT lymphoma transformsto high grade lymphoma. Furthermore, MALT B cell lymphoma seems toproliferate in response to an antigenic stimulus provided by T cell line of cells specificately activated by H. pylori. The use of antibiotics in the erradication of H. pylori is considered one of the strongest evidence for this association, based on the remission rates of gastric MALT lymphoma.For adenocarcinoma the rationale is: H. pylori induces chronic superficialgastritis and profound gastritis; the effect of the bacteria itself,nutritional and inmunological factors as well as the asumption of funtionalhyposecretion, could lead to an atrophic phenomena, intestinal metaplasia, dysplasia and finally adenocarcinoma. An hypoclorhidric/aclorhidric condition produced due to atrophy of the mucosa and a relative funtional state, lead to bacterial overgrowth with the subsequente production of N-nitrous compounds, well known because of its mutagenic and carcinogenic effects.Also, the secretion of vitamin C and ascorbic acid which have a protective mechamism against free radicals and decreasing production of N-nitrous compound formation, are afected for H. pylori infection.