Helicobacter pylori genotypes associated with gastric cancer and dysplasia in Colombian patients.

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS

Colombia has high incidence levels of gastric cancer that can be explained by the genetic variability of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). Our aim was to establish the relation of the H. pylori CagA and VacA genotypes to dysplasia and gastric cancer, in a high-risk population.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A case-control study was conducted on 202 patients from a high-risk cancer zone. Patients with dysplasia and gastric cancer (cases) and patients with nonatrophic gastritis (controls) were included. Endoscopic sampling and histologic classification were carried out according to the Sydney system and the Lauren classification. Genetic information was obtained through polymerase chain reaction on paraffin blocks. The measures of association of the variables of interest were evaluated in bivariate and multivariate models. A P<0.05 was considered statistically significant and the SPSS version 25 program was employed.

RESULTS

Age above 50 years (OR: 23.76; CI: 8.40-67.17; P=0.000) and the VacA s1m1 genotype (OR: 6.18; CI: 1.25-30.51; P=0.025) were associated with higher risk for developing dysplasia and gastric cancer. The CagA+ genotype was not found to be a risk factor for developing those pathologies (OR: 1.02; CI: 0.39-2.62; P=0.965).

CONCLUSIONS

The H. pylori VacA genotypes are markers for the development of gastric cancer. That information could be used to create a risk index in a predictive model to optimize the healthcare of higher-risk patients.