This common bacteria could be the culprit behind ‘millions' of stomach cancer cases
Scientists from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organisation, project that if current trends continue, around 15.6 million people born between 2008 and 2017 will be diagnosed with stomach (gastric) cancer in their lifetime.
Of these cases, a staggering 11.9 million – 76 per cent – are directly linked to infection with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori).
While the vast majority of new cases will be in Asia (particularly India and China), some two million could occur in the Americas, 1.7 million in Africa and 1.2 million in Europe.
H. pylori is a bacteria that infects the lining of the stomach and is thought to be spread from person to person and via contaminated food and water.
Research is still ongoing into how the infection is spread and how it may cause stomach cancer and another type, non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
For many people, H. pylori does not cause issues and will not need the standard treatment of antibiotics, but it can be the cause of ongoing indigestion, bloating or nausea.
H. pylori is detected with a blood test, breath test or via a stool sample.
The authors of the latest study are now calling for greater investment in the prevention of stomach cancer, particularly through population-wide 'screen and treat' programmes for H. pylori.
However, Cancer Research UK said stomach cancer rates in the UK have actually been falling – over the last decade, they have dropped 26 per cent and are projected to fall further by 2040.
Health information manager at Cancer Research UK, Dr Rachel Orritt, said: 'H. pylori infection increases the risk of stomach cancer, but it's not a common infection in the UK.
'It's also important to note that stomach cancer cases have been decreasing in the UK for decades, and they're expected to continue to fall.
'Although this is an important issue worldwide, in the UK other preventable factors cause more cancer cases.
'Ways to reduce your cancer risk include stopping smoking, keeping a healthy weight, cutting down on alcohol and eating a healthy, balanced diet.'
For the Nature Medicine study, scientists examined the incidence of stomach cancer from 185 countries in 2022 and combined it with projections of future deaths.
They looked at the potential impact of screen-and-treat strategies for H. pylori and found the number of stomach cancers could be cut by up to 75 per cent overall.
Asia accounts for two thirds of projected future cases, with 10.6 million cases (68 per cent of the total), followed by the Americas (2m or 13 per cent), Africa (1.7 million or 11 per cent), Europe (1.2m or 8 per cent), and Oceania (0.07m or 0.4 per cent).
Dr Jin Young Park, leader of the gastric cancer prevention team at IARC and co-author of the study, said: 'It is essential that health authorities make gastric cancer prevention a priority and accelerate efforts to control it by planning pilot and feasibility projects, including H. pylori screen-and-treat programmes.'
The main symptoms of stomach cancer include heartburn or acid reflux, having problems swallowing, feeling or being sick, indigestion and burping and feeling full very quickly when eating.
These symptoms are common and usually caused by other conditions.
Other symptoms include loss of appetite or losing weight without trying, stomach pain, a lump feeling at the top of the stomach and feeling very tired.
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Here are some takeaways from AP's report on what's happened in one of the most expensive efforts in all of public health. Documents show major problems on polio vaccination teams Internal WHO reports reviewing polio immunization in Afghanistan and Pakistan over the past decade — given to AP by current and former staffers — show that as early as 2017, local workers were alerting problems to senior managers. The documents flagged multiple cases of falsified vaccination records, health workers being replaced by untrained relatives and workers improperly administering vaccines. On numerous occasions, WHO officials noted, 'vaccinators did not know about vaccine management,' citing failure to keep doses properly cold. They also found sloppy or falsified reporting, with workers noting 'more used vaccine vials than were actually supplied.' According to an August 2017 report from Kandahar, Afghanistan, vaccination teams worked 'in a hurried manner,' reports said, with 'no plan for monitoring." 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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Solve the daily Crossword
Associated Press
35 minutes ago
- Associated Press
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KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — For nearly four decades, the World Health Organization and partners have been trying to rid the world of polio, a paralytic disease that has existed since prehistoric times. While cases have dropped more than 99%, polio remains entrenched in parts of Afghanistanand Pakistan. In its quest to eliminate the virus, WHO and its partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative have been derailed by mismanagement and what insiders describe as blind allegiance to an outdated strategy and a problematic oral vaccine, according to workers, polio experts and internal materials obtained by the Associated Press. Officials tout the successes – 3 billion children vaccinated, an estimated 20 million people who would have been paralyzed spared – while acknowledging challenges in Pakistan and Afghanistan. WHO polio director Dr. Jamal Ahmed defended progress in those two countries, citing workers' tailored response in resistant pockets. Here are some takeaways from AP's report on what's happened in one of the most expensive efforts in all of public health. Documents show major problems on polio vaccination teams Internal WHO reports reviewing polio immunization in Afghanistan and Pakistan over the past decade — given to AP by current and former staffers — show that as early as 2017, local workers were alerting problems to senior managers. The documents flagged multiple cases of falsified vaccination records, health workers being replaced by untrained relatives and workers improperly administering vaccines. On numerous occasions, WHO officials noted, 'vaccinators did not know about vaccine management,' citing failure to keep doses properly cold. They also found sloppy or falsified reporting, with workers noting 'more used vaccine vials than were actually supplied.' According to an August 2017 report from Kandahar, Afghanistan, vaccination teams worked 'in a hurried manner,' reports said, with 'no plan for monitoring.' A team in Nawzad, Afghanistan, covered just half of the intended area in 2017, with 250 households missed entirely. Village elders said no one visited for at least two years. Polio workers say problems have gone unaddressed Health officials in Afghanistan and Pakistan told AP their efforts to vaccinate children are often stymied by cultural barriers, misinformation about the vaccines, and poverty. Sughra Ayaz has traveled door to door in southeastern Pakistan for the past decade, pleading for children to be immunized. Some families demand basics such as food and water instead of vaccines. Others, without citing proof for their beliefs, repeat false rumors and say they think the oral vaccine doses are meant to sterilize their kids. Ayaz said that given the immense pressure for the campaign to succeed, some managers have instructed workers to falsely mark children as immunized 'In many places, our work is not done with honesty,' she said. Some scientists blame the oral vaccine Polio eradication demands perfection — zero polio cases and immunizing more than 95% of children. But some scientists and former WHO staffers say the campaign's efforts are far from perfect, blaming in particular the oral vaccine. It's safe and effective, but in very rare instances, the live virus in the oral vaccine can paralyze a child. In even rarer cases, the virus can mutate into a form capable of starting outbreaks among unimmunized people where vaccination rates are low. Except for Afghanistan and Pakistan, most polio cases worldwide are linked to the vaccine; several hundred cases have been reported annually since 2021, with at least 98 this year. Most public health experts agree the oral vaccine should be pulled as soon as possible. But they acknowledge there isn't enough injectable vaccine — which uses no live virus and doesn't come with the risks of the oral vaccine — to eliminate polio alone. The injectable vaccine is more expensive and requires more training to administer. More than two dozen current and former senior polio officials told AP the agencies involved haven't been willing to even consider revising their strategy to account for campaign problems. Last year, former WHO scientist Dr. T. Jacob John twice emailed WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus calling for a 'major course correction.' John wrote that 'WHO is persisting with polio control and creating polio with one hand and attempting to control it by the other.' Ahmed told AP the oral vaccine is a 'core pillar' of eradication strategy and that 'almost every country that is polio-free today used (it) to achieve that milestone.' Critics say there's no accountability Dr. Tom Frieden, who sits on an independent board reviewing polio eradication, said he and colleagues have urged WHO and partners to adapt to obstacles in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Since 2011, the board has issued regular reports about program failures, but had little impact. 'There's no management,' he said. With an annual budget of about $1 billion, polio eradication is among the most expensive initiatives in public health. WHO officials have privately admitted that sustaining funding will be difficult without signs of progress. Roland Sutter, who previously headed polio research at WHO, said donors had spent more than $1 billion in Pakistan trying to get rid of polio in the last five years — and made little progress. 'If this was a private company, we would demand results,' he said. Ahmed pointed to the program's many successes. 'Let's not overdramatize the challenges, because that leads to children getting paralyzed,' he said. Mistrust of the vaccine persists Vaccine workers and health officials say it's hard for campaign leadership to grasp the difficulties in the field. Door-to-door efforts are stymied by cultural barriers, unfounded stories about vaccines, and the region's poverty and transience. The campaign is up against a wave of misinformation, including that the vaccine is made from pig urine or will make children reach puberty early. Some blame an anti-vaccine sentiment growing in the U.S. and other countries that have largely funded eradication efforts. In a mountainous region of southeastern Afghanistan where most people survive by growing wheat and raising cows and chickens, many are wary of the Western-led initiative. A mother of five said she'd prefer that her children be vaccinated against polio, but her husband and other male relatives have instructed their families to reject it, fearing it will compromise their children's fertility. 'If I allow it,' the woman said, declining to be named over fears of family retribution, 'I will be beaten and thrown out.' _____ Cheng reported from London. The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
