Bacterium causing stomach cancer may play role in colorectal cancer

Turns out, a bacterium known for causing stomach cancer might also increase the risk of certain colorectal cancers, according to a study led by Duke Cancer Institute researchers.

By: ANI | | Updated: October 11, 2018 8:47 am

Turns out, a bacterium known for causing stomach cancer might also increase the risk of certain colorectal cancers, according to a study led by Duke Cancer Institute researchers. The finding was published in the Journal of Gastroenterology, and describes an association between antibodies to H. pylori bacteria and an increased risk of colorectal cancers, although it does not establish the bacteria as a definitive cause.

But stark racial differences also appeared. White patients had below average H. pylori infection rates, and Asian Americans had average rates. For black and Latino patients, however, the rates were much higher. Among African Americans, 65 per cent of the non-cancer patients and 71 per cent of the colorectal cancer patients had H. pylori antibodies; among Latinos, 77 per cent of the non-cancer group and 74 per cent of the cancer group had antibodies.

Further analysis showed that antibodies to four H. pylori proteins were most often present among the different ethnic groups with colorectal cancer. One H. pylori protein, in particular, VacA, had the strongest association with increased odds of colorectal cancer among the African American patients in the study, and, specifically, high levels of antibodies to this protein were associated with colorectal cancer incidence in both African Americans and Asian Americans.

Epplein said additional studies might also determine whether antibodies to the H. pylori VacA protein could serve as a marker of colorectal cancer risk if it isn’t causing cancer directly. (ANI)

Published : October 11, 2018 8:46 am | Updated:October 11, 2018 8:47 am

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