title: Female gender and Helicobacter pylori infection, the most important predisposition factors in a cohort of gastric cancer: A longitudinal study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common Cancers in the world and Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection is considered a causative factor. The aim of this study was to determine the characteristics and the associated factors of (GC) in a small cohort.
  
  
  METHODS
  Overall, 54 patients with diagnosed gastric cancer were followed-up at the Department of Gastroenterology & Hepatology at Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences. 37 (68.5%) of them were positive for H pylori infection in histopathological evaluations. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were used to determine the associations of demographic features and HP infection status with GC characteristics and prognosis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Univariate analysis showed female gender (odds ratio (OR): 6.53; 95% confidence interval (95%CI): 1.59-26.8; P=0.008), and illiteracy (compared to intermediate education; OR: 5.9, 95%CI: 1.37-25.43; p=0.05) were associated significantly with higher rate of HP infection. After a mean±SD follow-up duration of 254±329 months, only female gender was significantly associated with HP infection in GC (OR:4.56; 95% CI: 1.0-21.76; P=0.05). H pylori positive patients had significantly higher grade of GC (OR: 3.97; 95% CI: 1.0-16.16; P=0.05), and a trend toward greater GC stage (OR: 4.46, 95% CI: 9.39-21.23; p=0.06). There was no association between survival rate and H pylori infection.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the current study, we found a significant association of female gender with GN and an association of higher grade of GC with female gender. These findings may indicate a sex disparity in susceptibility to HP infection regarding GC future studies of larger populations are recommended.
authors.affiliation: Colorectal Research Center; Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran.
authors.forename: Shahram
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Agah
authors.affiliation: Baqiyatallah Research Center for Gastroenterology and Liver Disease; Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Hossein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Khedmat
authors.affiliation: Baqiyatallah Research Center for Gastroenterology and Liver Disease; Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad Ebrahim
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Ghamar-Chehred
authors.affiliation: Baqiyatallah Research Center for Gastroenterology and Liver Disease; Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Reza
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hadi
authors.affiliation: Baqiyatallah Research Center for Gastroenterology and Liver Disease; Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Aghdas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aghaei
keywords: Female; Gastric carcinoma; Gender; Helicobacter pylori; Iran; Stomach cancer