Common food and waterborne bug to blame for millions of cases of ‘silent cancer' mistaken for heartburn
New research from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the WHO, reveals that around 15.6 million people born between 2008 and 2017 will face stomach cancer in their lifetime.
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Of these cases, some 11.9 million (76 per cent) will be due to infection with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori).
It's a common stomach bacteria spread through person-to-person contact and contaminated food or water.
Asia bears the brunt of new cases, with countries like India and China hardest hit.
But the Americas might see as many 2 million cases, Africa 1.7 million, and Europe 1.2 million.
H. pylori is a bacteria that infects the lining of the stomach.
Detecting the bug is simple, using blood, breath or stool tests, and treatment typically involves antibiotics.
But most people never realise they're infected.
This is because when symptoms do appear, they can easily be mistaken for run-of-the-mill indigestion, which can cause bloating, nausea, heartburn, or feeling full quickly after eating.
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.
Experts say this could be fuelling a surge in stomach cancer, often dubbed a 'silent killer' because symptoms are vague and easy to ignore.
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Scientists are still working to understand exactly how the bug causes cancer. It's also been linked to non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of blood cancer.
The authors of the study, published in Nature Medicine, 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.
Dr Rachel Orritt, a health information manager at the charity, 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 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."
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