Roadmap for elimination of gastric cancer in Korea.
Most gastric cancers are caused by infection with the common human bacterial pathogen, Helicobacter pylori. It is now accepted that gastric cancer can be prevented and virtually eliminated by H. pylori eradication and this knowledge was responsible for country-wide H. pylori eradication combined with secondary cancer prevention for those with residual risk that was introduced in Japan in 2013. Korea is a high H. pylori prevalence and high gastric cancer incidence country and a good candidate for a gastric cancer elimination program. The presence of an H. pylori infection is now considered as an indication for treatment of the infection. However, antimicrobial drug resistance is common among H. pylori in Korea making effective therapy problematic. Country-wide studies of the local and regional antimicrobial resistance patterns are needed to choose the most appropriate therapies. H. pylori and gastric cancer eradication can be both efficient and cost effective making it possible and practical to make Korea H. pylori and gastric cancer free. There is no reason to delay.
Department of Medicine, Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
David Y
DY
Graham
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D060740:Disease Eradication; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D006801:Humans; D015995:Prevalence; D011322:Primary Prevention / Q000379:methods*; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents
Cancer prevention; Eradication therapy; Helicobacter pylori; Primary prevention; Stomach neoplasms