Detection of Helicobacter pylori DNA in human biliary tree and its association with hepatolithiasis

Relationship between Helicobacter pylori infection and primary hepatic carcinoma

AIM: To investigate the relationship between Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection and primary hepatic carcinoma.

METHODS: Clinical data for patients who were newly diagnosed with primary hepatic carcinoma and patients with non-cancer diseases treated at Guangxi Medical University Cancer Hospital from March 2010 to October 2013 were retrospectively analyzed to assess the relationship between H. pylori infection and primary hepatic carcinoma. Patients with primary hepatic carcinoma were further divided into two groups, one undergoing detection of HBV DNA copy number and H. pylori¹⁴C-UBT, and the other undergoing the determination of alpha-fetal protein (AFP) concentrations and H. pylori¹⁴C-UBT. The relationship among ¹⁴C-UBT value, HBV DNA copy number and AFP concentrations were assessed.

RESULTS: The positive rate of H. pylori infection was significantly higher in primary hepatic carcinoma than in non-cancer diseases, in poorly differentiated primary hepatic carcinoma than in moderately and well differentiated carcinoma, in stage Ⅲ/Ⅳ carcinoma than in stage Ⅰ/Ⅱ, in highly invasive carcinoma than in minimally invasive, and in bile duct cell type than in other two types. Gender and age had no significant impact on the positive rate of H. pylori infection. ¹⁴C-UBT value was significantly positively correlated with AFP concentrations (r = 0.88) and HBV DNA copy number (r = 0.657).

CONCLUSION: H. pylori infection may be associated with the occurrence and development of primary hepatic carcinoma.