Long-Term Effects of Helicobacter pylori Eradication on Metachronous Gastric Cancer Development

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Gastric mucosal atrophy and intestinal metaplasia due to Helicobacter pylori infection are the main precursor lesions of gastric cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term effects of H. pylori eradication on the progression of precancerous lesions to metachronous cancer after endoscopic resection of early gastric cancer (EGC). METHODS: Patients who underwent endoscopic resection of EGC were retrospectively reviewed. Changes in precancerous lesions and development of metachronous cancer were compared according to H. pylori eradication and final infection status. RESULTS: In total, 565 patients were followed for over 5 years after endoscopic resection of EGC. The grade of atrophy on corpus was significantly lower in the H. pylori-eradicated group than in the persistent group during follow-up (p=0.029). In patients <70 years of age, the cumulative incidence rate of metachronous cancer was significantly lower in the H. pylori-eradicated group than in the persistent group (p=0.018). Age was an independent risk factor for metachronous cancer development. CONCLUSIONS: H. pylori eradication might prevent the development of metachronous cancer in patients <70 years of age by delaying the progression of precancerous lesions after endoscopic resection of EGC.