(NewsNation) — A new study has found that three-quarters of stomach cancer cases could be prevented by targeting infection by a common type of bacteria.
According to a study published in the journal Nature Medicine, the bacteria, called Helicobacter pylori, is linked to 76% of future stomach cancer cases. Researchers said most stomach cancers are caused by chronic infection with H. pylori, and can be prevented by treatment of the infection with a combination of antibiotics and proton pump inhibitors.
In the study, researchers projected future cases of stomach cancer based on 2022 data from 185 countries. In the absence of any intervention, they expect 15.6 million people born between 2008 and 2017 will at some point develop stomach cancer, with 11.9 million of those cases caused by H. pylori.
More than half the people in the world may have an H. pylori infection at some point in their lives, according to Mayo Clinic. H. pylori germs seem to spread through contact with bodily fluids like vomit, stool or saliva.
Researchers said a lack of public health action has led to the continued risk posed by H. pylori bacteria, even in developed nations.
“In the U.S., there are currently no national guidelines or formal recommendations for gastric cancer prevention, although gastric cancer disproportionately affects Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, African Americans and American Indian-Alaska Native individuals, and an increasing trend in young individuals has been observed between 2016 and 2022, most notably in women,” researchers wrote.