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World J Gastrointest Pathophysiol. Jun 22, 2025; 16(2): 107052
Published online Jun 22, 2025. doi: 10.4291/wjgp.v16.i2.107052
Update on molecular pathogenesis of Helicobacter pylori-induced gastric cancer
Yasir Raza, Muhammed Mubarak, Muhammad Yousuf Memon, Mohammed Saud Alsulaimi
Yasir Raza, Department of Microbiology, University of Karachi, Karachi 75270, Sindh, Pakistan
Muhammed Mubarak, Department of Histopathology, Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation, Karachi 74200, Sindh, Pakistan
Muhammad Yousuf Memon, Mohammed Saud Alsulaimi, Department of Gastroenterology, King Saud Hospital, Unaizah, Unaizah 56437, Al Qassim, Saudi Arabia
Author contributions: Raza Y, Mubarak M, and Memon YM contributed equally to the conception and study design; Raza Y, Mubarak M, and Memon YM performed relevant research and participated in primary and final drafting; Mubarak M and Alsulaimi MS critically reviewed and approved the final manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors have declared that no conflict of interest exists with regard to this work.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Muhammed Mubarak, Professor, Department of Histopathology, Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation, Chand Bibi Road, Karachi 74200, Sindh, Pakistan. drmubaraksiut@yahoo.com
Received: March 14, 2025
Revised: April 9, 2025
Accepted: April 21, 2025
Published online: June 22, 2025
Processing time: 97 Days and 19.1 Hours
Core Tip

Core Tip: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a major risk factor for gastric cancer (GC), the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths. H. pylori triggers chronic inflammation, progressing through precancerous stages (gastritis, atrophy, intestinal metaplasia, dysplasia) to GC. Virulence factors like cytotoxin-associated gene A and vacuolating cytotoxin A activate oncogenic signaling pathways (PI3K/Akt, JAK/STAT, Ras/Raf/ERK), promoting uncontrolled cell proliferation and impairing DNA repair, leading to carcinogenic mutations. While 1%-3% of infected individuals develop GC, understanding these molecular mechanisms is crucial for identifying diagnostic markers and developing targeted therapies. This review explores H. pylori's role in gastric carcinogenesis, emphasizing bacterial-host interactions and potential preventive strategies.