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Posted on Apr 30, 2008, 8 p.m.
By Jeanelle Topping
Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have claimed to have proved conclusively that prompt treatment of a common infection can repair damage to the stomach lining and ward off the threat of cancer.
Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have claimed to have proved conclusively that prompt treatment of a common infection can repair damage to the stomach lining and ward off the threat of cancer.
Releasing their conclusions in the May 1st issue of the American Association for Cancer Research's Cancer Research journal, the MIT team claimed that a new mouse model of gastritis and stomach cancer had helped them confirm the necessity for tackling Helicobacter pylori.
Around half of the world's population is infected with H. pylori, the researchers claimed, with the substance identified as the prime cause of both peptic ulcers and gastric cancer.
The study's lead author, James G Fox, said: "We concluded that H pylori eradication prevented gastric cancer to the greatest extent when antibiotics were given at an early point of infection, but that eradication therapy given at a later time point also delayed the development of severe lesions that can lead to cancer."
"If you lose these cells over time, they stop secreting gastric acid, and this is, in and of itself, a risk factor for development of cancer, but gastric acid also helps protect against commensal bacterial colonization of the stomach."
