Published online Feb 15, 2016. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v8.i2.147
Peer-review started: May 1, 2015
First decision: July 6, 2015
Revised: November 24, 2015
Accepted: December 13, 2015
Article in press: December 15, 2015
Published online: February 15, 2016
Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is highly prevalent in human, affecting nearly half of the world’s population; however, infection remains asymptomatic in majority of population. During its co-existence with humans, H. pylori has evolved various strategies to maintain a mild gastritis and limit the immune response of host. On the other side, presence of H. pylori is also associated with increased risk for the development of various gastric pathologies including gastric cancer (GC). A complex combination of host genetics, environmental agents, and bacterial virulence factors are considered to determine the susceptibility as well as the severity of outcome in a subset of individuals. GC is one of the most common cancers and considered as the third most common cause of cancer related death worldwide. Many studies had proved H. pylori as an important risk factor in the development of non-cardia GC. Although both H. pylori infection and GC are showing decreasing trends in the developed world, they still remain a major threat to human population in the developing countries. The current review attempts to highlight recent progress in the field of research on H. pylori induced GC and aims to provide brief insight into H. pylori pathogenesis, the role of major virulence factors of H. pylori that modulates the host environment and transform the normal gastric epithelium to neoplastic one. This review also emphasizes on the mechanistic understanding of how colonization and various virulence attributes of H. pylori as well as the host innate and adaptive immune responses modulate the diverse signaling pathways that leads to different disease outcomes including GC.
Core tip: Although the incidence and mortality of gastric cancer (GC) is declining in recent decades but it still remains a major threat in developing countries as compared to developed one. Among various etiological agents, Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) play a detrimental role in development of GC. Through this review we focus on the recent progress in the field of research on H. pylori induced GC and providing the brief insight into H. pylori pathogenesis, the role of major virulence factors of H. pylori that modulates the host environment and transform the normal gastric epithelium to neoplastic one.