title: Helicobacter pylori eradication: gastric cancer prevention.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The principal effect of Helicobacter pylori infection is lifelong chronic gastritis, affecting up to 20% of younger adults but 50% to 80% of adults born in resource-rich countries before 1950.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a systematic overview, aiming to answer the following clinical question: What are the effects of H pylori eradication treatment on the risk of developing gastric cancer? We searched: Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and other important databases up to July 2014 (Clinical Evidence reviews are updated periodically; please check our website for the most up-to-date version of this review).
  
  
  RESULTS
  At this update, searching of electronic databases retrieved 208 studies. After deduplication and removal of conference abstracts, 166 records were screened for inclusion in the overview. Appraisal of titles and abstracts led to the exclusion of 124 studies and the further review of 42 full publications. Of the 42 full articles evaluated, one systematic review was added at this update. We performed a GRADE evaluation for two PICO combinations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this systematic overview, we categorised the efficacy for one intervention based on information about the effectiveness and safety of H pylori eradication treatment for the prevention of gastric cancer.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Grigorios I
authors.initials: GI
authors.lastname: Leontiadis
authors.forename: Alexander Charles
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Ford