Helicobacter pylori as a class I carcinogen: physiopathology and management strategies

The gram-negative bacterium Helicobacter pylori is known as a persistent colonizer of the human stomach, and probably less known is that it is also involved in extraintestinal diseases. Public awareness of its contribution in the development of gastric cancer is less than 15 years old. The efficacy of the current therapies based on antibiotics against H. pylori has been limited by difficulties such as antibiotic resistance and recurrence. As a consequence, the development of promising vaccines was prompted as the best preventive measure. Unfortunately, so far vaccines failed the transition from animal models to human trials. This keynote presentation is to provide a bird's eye view of H. pylori-related gastric diseases, including gastric cancer, with a synthesis of the molecular mechanisms involved, and an exhaustive presentation and discussion of the current therapeutic guidelines and future strategies for prevention or therapy.