Timing of H. Pylori Therapy in Gastric Cancer

Helicobacter pylori infection plays a role in chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma, and adenocarcinoma of the stomach; eradication of the infection is indicated for all these conditions. The appropriate timing for H. pylori eradication in gastric cancer, however, has not been defined. Preoperative therapy might delay definitive surgery, but postoperative therapy might not be as effective because of anatomic and physiologic changes that result from the surgery.

To address this issue, investigators conducted a randomized trial among 138 patients with distal gastric adenocarcinoma and H. pylori infection who were scheduled to undergo subtotal gastrectomies at a single tertiary-care cancer hospital …