[Helicobacter pylori and gastric cancer]

H. pylori has been included as a definite biological carcinogen by WHO/ IARC. H. pylori is thought to play a role in the gastritis-metaplasia-carcinoma sequence by inducing atrophic gastritis. Clinical and epidemiological studies have shown a close association between H. pylori infection and gastric cancer. Yet, experimental evidence is equivocal. Epidemiological evidence also suggests that there are significant variable(s) other than H. pylori infection in gastric carcinogenesis. Clearly many questions regarding the role of H. pylori in gastric carcinogenesis have been left for further study. The authors have summarized these aspects together with their experimental results.