Evaluation of the role of H pylori infection in pathogenesis of gastric cancer by immunoblot assay

AIM: To elucidate the different serological reactions to H pylori using the immunoblotting technique for further understanding of its pathogenic role in gastric cancer. METHODS: A total of 54 patients were divided into two groups after upper gastrointestinal endoscopy: normal control group (25 patients) and gastric cancer group (29 patients). Both groups were further divided into H pylori (+) and H pylori (-) subgroups based on the results of CLO test, Giemsa staining and culture. Sera were further analyzed with the immunoblotting technique (HelicoBlot 2.0, Genelabs Diagnostics, Singapore). RESULTS: The positive rate of the immunoblotting test was as high as 88.9% in the H pylori (-) gastric cancer group and only 14.3% in the H pylori (-) normal control group with a statistically significant difference. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of H pylori infection is higher in gastric cancer patients than in the normal controls, suggesting that H pylori may play a role in the pathogenesis of gastric cancer.