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Stomach Bacteria That Can Cause Cancer

Helicobacter pylori is a type of bacterium that lives within the stomach. Many people are infected with the bacterium, and will never develop symptoms. According to the Mayo Clinic, nearly half of the world's population lives with H. pylori. Despite this fact, there are some who can be susceptible to complications from the bacterium, such as ulcers. The bacterium can also cause certain types of cancer due to the fact that the bacterium is classified as a cancer causing agent.

  1. H. Pylori

    • Helicobacter pylori is a strong type of bacterium that lives within your stomach, and can withstand the contents of your stomach acids. In most instances, bacteria would not be able to survive in the hostile environment of your stomach. However, the H. pylori has managed to evolve and sustain itself. H. pylori uses adapted enzymes (urease) that can turn urea into ammonia. The ammonia changes the acidity content of your stomach, making the environment more hospitable for the survival of H. Pylori.

    Contamination

    • You can be contaminated with H. pylori by either drinking contaminated water, or from mouth-to-mouth contact. According to the National Cancer Institute, most H. pylori infections occur in children. This may be due to the fact that infection rates are higher in areas of developing countries. Children who live within these nations often live in areas with unsanitary conditions. Though many H. pylori infections will not result in any illness, there are links of the disease to gastric cancer, MALT (gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma) and the possible risk of developing pancreatic cancer.

    Gastric Cancer

    • There are two types of gastric cancer. Gastric cardia cancer deals with the upper part of the stomach (where the stomach meets the esophagus), and the other, non-cardia gastric cancer, is associated with the remainder of the stomach. H. pylori is most commonly associated with non-cardia gastric cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute, having an infection with H. pylori is a risk factor for developing gastric cancer.

    MALT Lymphoma

    • MALT is a type of cancer that affects the lining of the stomach. It is a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which is very rare. MALT develops a type of immune cells ( B lymphocytes). These cells multiply in your stomach lining. In a normal, healthy stomach lining, these cells are never present. Yet with H. pylori, the appearance of these cells occurs due to the colonization of the bacterium. Almost all of the patients who develop MALT have an H. pylori infection. According to the National Cancer Institute, many MALT patients go into remission of their disease when treated with antibiotics for H. pylori.

    Pancreatic Cancer

    • Many people who develop peptic ulcers and require surgery, also have a higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer years later. H. pylori is commonly associated with a higher incidence in peptic ulcers. According to the National Cancer Institute, in a small study conducted on 92 pancreatic patients, 65 percent of these individuals tested positive for H. pylori. Though the test was conducted after the patients had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, it was concluded that there was some link between the cancer and H. pylori.

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