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People who are positive for Helicobacter pylori are more likely to develop gastric cancer than are people without the infection. In this systematic review and meta-analysis of six randomized trials (duration range, 4–15 years; 5 conducted in Asia), investigators determined whether screening for and eradicating H. pylori in healthy asymptomatic adults (age, >16) lowers risk for gastric cancer.
In pooled analyses of 6500 patients, gastric cancer incidence was 1.6% among those who received eradication therapy and 2.4% among those who received placebo or no treatment. The researchers calculated the number needed to treat (NNT) by applying the findings of this meta-analysis to 2008 global data on gastric cancer incidence; assuming the benefit of …