A common bacteria could cause 12 million cases of stomach cancer
Over the course of their lives, 15.6 million people born between 2008 and 2017 are expected to develop stomach cancer – and 76 per cent may be caused by the Helicobacter pylori bacteria, according to the study published in the journal Nature Medicine.
Stomach cancer is largely preventable, but the prognosis is poor once a patient is diagnosed. It is the fifth most common form of cancer worldwide, killing an estimated 770,000 people per year.
Chronic infection with H. pylori is a major cause, and it helps explain the rise in stomach cancers among young people in recent years, the study found.
Most people are infected with H. pylori as children, and they may be infected for years without knowing it because the infection doesn't cause symptoms. But it can also cause ulcers or inflammation in the stomach lining.
The bacteria can spread by mouth, for example kissing, or through contact with vomit or stool.
Where stomach cancer cases will rise
Researchers from the World Health Organization's (WHO) cancer research agency analysed stomach cancer data from 185 countries in 2022.
They projected that under current trends, 11.9 million people could be diagnosed with stomach cancer attributable to H. pylori infection by 2101, which is the year someone born in 2017 would turn 84.
The vast majority of bacteria-linked stomach cancer cases – 8 million – are expected in Asia. Another nearly 471,000 cases are projected in the European Union, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Norway and Iceland.
The burden of stomach cancer is also shifting globally. While sub-Saharan Africa currently has relatively few cases, the researchers expect stomach cancer cases tied to H. pylori to rise to 1.4 million by 2101 – six times higher than the rate in 2022 – due to ageing and population changes.
'With demographic changes set to increase the gastric cancer burden in many parts of the world, there is an urgent need for coordinated prevention strategies and for regional health systems to be prepared to manage the growing burden,' said Dr Jin Young Park, one of the study's co-authors and head of the gastric cancer prevention team at the WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
The study has some limitations, notably poor data quality in lower-income countries that can make it harder to make confident predictions.
But the researchers said the data is clear enough for health authorities around the world to take action.
They called for countries to invest in initiatives to screen and quickly treat people for H. pylori infection. Their analysis shows that such programmes could reduce the number of expected stomach cancer cases by up to 75 per cent.
'It is essential that health authorities make gastric cancer prevention a priority and accelerate efforts to control it,' Park said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Euronews
17 hours ago
- Euronews
Common virus that causes mono raises cancer risks 5-fold, study warns
One of the world's most common viruses appears to significantly raise the risk of cancer, according to a new study from the World Health Organization's (WHO) cancer research agency. Most people around the world have been infected with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) at some point in their lives. It spreads easily through saliva and other bodily fluids and does not usually cause symptoms, but it can lead to mononucleosis, also known as 'mono' or 'the kissing disease'. Scientists already knew that EBV, which stays in the body forever, can cause certain cancers, such as lymphomas and a rare form of throat cancer. But until now, there has been little data on the broader health risks. The new study, which was published in the journal Nature Communications, found that the virus puts people at higher risk for additional cancers, years before they are diagnosed. Researchers tracked nearly 74,000 people in southern China for eight to 10 years, identifying 1,990 cancer cases. They also tested whether people had EBV antibodies, which are proteins that fight off infections and are stored in the body, serving as a sign that someone has had the virus. People with EBV antibodies were about five times as likely to develop cancer compared with people who did not have them, according to the study from the WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and research centres in China. The higher the level of antibodies, the higher the cancer risk. The findings will help scientists 'understand the link between [EBV infection] and the risk of various cancer types,' said Dr Zisis Kozlakidis, one of the study's co-authors and head of IARC's laboratory support, biobanking, and services unit. The risks were highest for nasopharyngeal cancer, which is a rare cancer that affects the part of the throat that connects the back of the nose to the back of the mouth. People who had EBV were 26 times as likely to develop this form of cancer than those who were not infected. Meanwhile, EBV antibodies were also tied to an elevated risk of developing lung cancer, liver cancer, and lymphomas, which are a group of blood cancers. The study had some limitations. The results may not translate directly to different demographic groups, for example, and other risk factors, such as smoking rates, could have affected the findings. Even so, researchers said the findings shed new light on cancer-causing viruses such as EBV. They called for more investigation into how exactly the virus causes cancer. Most people who have had mono will not develop cancer because of EBV, but the virus can cause genetic changes in cells that make them more likely to become cancerous. Health experts say that if people know their risks, they can watch out for signs of cancers that may be linked to the virus.
Euronews
2 days ago
- Euronews
A common bacteria could cause 12 million cases of stomach cancer
A common bacteria found in the stomach could cause nearly 12 million cancers among people born over a single decade, a new study suggests. Over the course of their lives, 15.6 million people born between 2008 and 2017 are expected to develop stomach cancer – and 76 per cent may be caused by the Helicobacter pylori bacteria, according to the study published in the journal Nature Medicine. Stomach cancer is largely preventable, but the prognosis is poor once a patient is diagnosed. It is the fifth most common form of cancer worldwide, killing an estimated 770,000 people per year. Chronic infection with H. pylori is a major cause, and it helps explain the rise in stomach cancers among young people in recent years, the study found. Most people are infected with H. pylori as children, and they may be infected for years without knowing it because the infection doesn't cause symptoms. But it can also cause ulcers or inflammation in the stomach lining. The bacteria can spread by mouth, for example kissing, or through contact with vomit or stool. Where stomach cancer cases will rise Researchers from the World Health Organization's (WHO) cancer research agency analysed stomach cancer data from 185 countries in 2022. They projected that under current trends, 11.9 million people could be diagnosed with stomach cancer attributable to H. pylori infection by 2101, which is the year someone born in 2017 would turn 84. The vast majority of bacteria-linked stomach cancer cases – 8 million – are expected in Asia. Another nearly 471,000 cases are projected in the European Union, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Norway and Iceland. The burden of stomach cancer is also shifting globally. While sub-Saharan Africa currently has relatively few cases, the researchers expect stomach cancer cases tied to H. pylori to rise to 1.4 million by 2101 – six times higher than the rate in 2022 – due to ageing and population changes. 'With demographic changes set to increase the gastric cancer burden in many parts of the world, there is an urgent need for coordinated prevention strategies and for regional health systems to be prepared to manage the growing burden,' said Dr Jin Young Park, one of the study's co-authors and head of the gastric cancer prevention team at the WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). The study has some limitations, notably poor data quality in lower-income countries that can make it harder to make confident predictions. But the researchers said the data is clear enough for health authorities around the world to take action. They called for countries to invest in initiatives to screen and quickly treat people for H. pylori infection. Their analysis shows that such programmes could reduce the number of expected stomach cancer cases by up to 75 per cent. 'It is essential that health authorities make gastric cancer prevention a priority and accelerate efforts to control it,' Park said.
LeMonde
4 days ago
- LeMonde
How to combat 'sloth syndrome' and get moving
"It's like therapy, without a therapist." "It helps me come up with better ideas and solutions to a problem." "It connects me to myself and to others." These are just a few of the responses from European citizens to a simple question posed by the World Health Organization (WHO): Why do you love walking or cycling? Launched one month ago by WHO Europe to mark World Bicycle Day on June 3, the campaign "Let's Get Moving! 100 Reasons to Walk and Cycle More" went somewhat unnoticed. Yet, this list could have been a great way to find motivation to walk or cycle more. First, not only does one's physical and mental health experience benefits from this type of exercise, but so does the environment, the economy and even community cohesion. The health arguments alone should be compelling. "In the WHO European Region, physical inactivity is linked to approximately one million deaths each year, with nearly 25% of adults failing to meet WHO's recommendation of at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity throughout the week," the United Nations agency emphasized in the campaign's presentation.
