[Clinico-pathological study of Helicobacter pylori in early gastric cancer]

The role of Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection in the pathogenesis of various gastric diseases is an important but unresolved issue. To investigate the association between Hp and the histological findings of the stomach in patients of early gastric cancer, the prevalence of Hp in gastric mucosa and the mucosal alterations were examined histo-pathologically in the surgically resected stomach of 30 cases with early gastric cancer. Serum IgG antibodies for Hp were determined in these cases. All 30 cases had evidence of Hp infection in resected stomach and 90% had Hp antibodies in their serum. There was no evidence of direct association between Hp and gastric cancer histopathologically, although it is considered that chronic gastritis (atrophy and intestinal metaplasia) are implicated in Hp infection.