Analysis of the Cochrane Review: Helicobacter pylori Eradication for the Prevention of Gastric Neoplasia. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015;7:CD005583.

Abstract

Helicobacter pylori infection is a risk factor for gastric adenocarcinoma. Identification of individuals with this infection and its eradication may be considered as a primary prevention strategy to reduce the incidence of gastric adenocarcinoma; however, the magnitude of benefit and the effectiveness of this strategy are still unclear. A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials was conducted comparing the incidence of gastric adenocarcinoma in infected individuals submitted to Helicobacter pylori eradication and individuals not submitted to this therapy. The results of the six included randomized clinical trials (all conducted in countries with
high gastric cancer incidence) suggest that Helicobacter pylori eradication is associated with a relative risk reduction of 34% in gastric cancer incidence. However, generalization of the results to countries with lower gastric cancer incidence should be cautious and the cost-effectiveness of this strategy in this context remains uncertain.