Gastric cancer in children and adolescents in Japan

The Most Recent Insights into the Roots of Gastric Cancer

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is the most common bacterial infection worldwide, usually being acquired during childhood, and its persistence into adulthood represents one of the main contributors of gastric carcinogenesis. Based on these statements, it would be of great importance to know if the most early premalignant transformation occurs in children or later since, this would enable the development of effective anti-tumorigenesis strategies. The interplay between H. pylori virulence factors, the host's responses modified by this infection, and the gastric microecology are complex and eventually lead to the development of gastric cancer in susceptible individuals. Several biomarkers were identified as major contributors of this long-lasting process, such as pepsinogens, gastrin 17, lipid-, glucose- and iron-metabolism parameters, immunity players, aberrant bacterial DNA methylation, H. pylori virulence factors, and hallmarks of gastric dysbiosis. Several of these biomarkers were also identified in children with H. pylori infection, independently of the presence of premalignant lesions, which were also proven to be present in a subgroup of H. pylori-infected children, especially those carrying extremely virulent strains. Therefore, the most incipient premalignant gastric changes might indeed occur early during childhood, opening a promising research gate for further studies to delineate the border between infection and cancer.

Gastric cancer in the pediatric population, a multicenter cross-sectional analysis of presentation and coexisting comorbidities

OBJECTIVES

Solid tumors of the stomach in children are rare, adenocarcinoma being most frequently reported. Risk factors and clinical presentation are poorly understood. We undertook a nationwide database analysis to evaluate pediatric CA stomach presentation, comorbidities, and metastatic pattern.

METHODS

The Cerner Health Facts Database^® (CHFD) was queried for pediatric age range (1-21) patients, 2010-2017 inclusive. The pediatric gastric cancer cohort was defined by ICD9 and ICD 10 CM diagnoses attributable to primary (non-GIST, non-hematologic) solid tumors of the stomach limited to diagnosis priority < 5 and validated by filtering for supportive diagnoses. Demographic characteristics, comorbidities, before and throughout the medical record were analyzed and compared to the base population.

RESULTS

The cohort included 333 patients from a base population of 9.6 million children. The M:F ratio was 1.15:1, mean age at diagnosis was 11.8 years. Stomach cancer was most prevalent in non-Hispanic whites, less in Asians and African Americans. Symptoms included abdominal pain, vomiting, anemia, diarrhea and weight loss. Reflux symptoms, esophagitis, gastritis, including H. pylori and duodenitis were reported in 10.2%. Obesity, obesity-related comorbidities, tobacco exposure and family history of colonic polyps, gastrointestinal and breast cancer were all more prevalent (P < 0.0001) in the cohort.

DISCUSSION

We defined patient demographic characteristics, anatomic distribution in a large cohort of children with solid tumors of the stomach. Reported symptoms in our cohort are similar to those observed in adults. Associated comorbidities which may reflect risk factors include obesity, tobacco exposure and family history of intestinal polyps and malignancy.

Epidemiology and Characteristics of Gastric Carcinoma in Childhood-An Analysis of Data from Population-Based and Clinical Cancer Registries

(1) Background: Gastric carcinoma is an exceptionally rare tumor in childhood. Little is known about the etiology, epidemiology, and clinical features of pediatric gastric carcinomas. This analysis aimed to fill this gap by increasing knowledge about the occurrence of gastric carcinoma in childhood. (2) Material and methods: Data from gastric carcinoma cases diagnosed between 2000 and 2017/2018 were retrieved from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (SEER) and the German Center for Cancer Registry Data. Data from patients <20 years of age were analyzed for patient- and tumor-related characteristics. In addition, clinical data from patients with gastric carcinoma registered in the German Registry for Rare Pediatric Tumors (STEP) were analyzed for diagnostics, therapy, and outcome. (3) Results: Ninety-one cases of gastric carcinoma, mainly in adolescents, were identified in the epidemiologic cancer registries. Among patients with recorded staging data, advanced tumor stages were common (66.7%). Within the follow-up period covered, 63.7% of patients with clinical follow-up data died. Eight pediatric patients with gastric carcinoma were enrolled in the STEP registry, among whom two were patients with hereditary CDH1 mutations and another was a patient with Peutz−Jeghers syndrome. Three patients were found to have distinctly decreased immunoglobulin concentrations. All four patients in whom complete resection was achieved remained in remission. Three of the other four patients died despite multimodal therapy. (4) Conclusions: A combination of Helicobacter pylori infection and tumor predisposition and/or immunodeficiency appears to promote the development of gastric carcinoma in childhood. While patients with localized disease stages have a good chance of achieving durable remission through complete resection, patients with stage IV carcinomas face a dismal prognosis, highlighting the need to develop new strategies such as mutation-guided treatments.

Gastric Cancer After Helicobacter pylori Eradication for Nodular Gastritis in an Adolescent

A 16-year-old girl underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) after the detection of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) antibodies in her urine during a school health screening, which revealed nodular gastritis (NG). She was diagnosed as having H. pylori infection histologically and by biopsy culture specimens and soon commenced eradication therapy. Eight weeks later, eradication was confirmed by a urea breath test. At the age of 19, however, she was referred to our hospital with epigastralgia and lower back pain. EGD revealed ulcerative lesions with enlarged folds at the greater curvature of the gastric body. Biopsy specimens of the lesions revealed poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma and signet ring cell carcinoma. The cancer was classified as stage IV with pancreatic invasion. Although NG with pangastritis is considered a high-risk factor for diffuse-type gastric carcinoma, the course of NG after eradication remains unknown. Careful histological assessment before eradication by endoscopic biopsy and close follow-up after eradication are therefore recommended, even in young patients.

Gut microbiota changes related to Helicobacter pylori eradication with vonoprazan containing triple therapy among adolescents: a prospective multicenter study

Currently, it is unclear whether treating Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is safe among adolescents. This study aimed to evaluate the safety of H. pylori eradication therapy by examining gut microbiota changes in adolescents 3 months after the therapy. H. pylori-infected adolescents were enrolled in this study. Their stool samples were collected at the following three time points: before treatment, 1-2 days after completion of treatment, and time of eradication successful judgment. We assessed the relative abundance, alpha-diversity, and beta-diversity of the gut microbiota and adverse events. The number of isolated Actinobacteria decreased immediately after eradication therapy in the 16 students included in the study, and it returned to pretreatment condition at the eradication judgment point. There was no change in the relative abundance at genus level. The alpha-diversity was lost immediately after eradication therapy; however, it recovered at the time of eradication judgment, and it was restored to pretreatment condition. Meanwhile, none of the participants experienced serious adverse events. H. pylori eradication therapy is safe for adolescents with respect to gut microbiota changes associated with H. pylori eradication therapy. Therefore, further long-term evaluations of gut microbiota changes following eradication therapy are warranted.

Helicobacter pylori test-and-treat strategy for second-year junior high school students aimed at the prevention of gastric cancer in Takatsuki City

BACKGROUND

More than 90% of gastric cancer cases are caused by Helicobacter pylori infections. To prevent gastric cancer, an H pylori test-and-treat strategy targeting young people has been implemented in various places in Japan. In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of an H pylori test-and-treat strategy for second-year junior high school students in Takatsuki City.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In 2014-2017, a urine-based H pylori test was used for initial screening. The final infection status was determined by a ¹³ C-urea breath test (¹³ C-UBT). Successful H pylori eradication was confirmed by ¹³ C-UBT 3 months after treatment. First-line eradication therapy was changed from 10 mg of rabeprazole, 750 mg of amoxicillin, and 200 mg of clarithromycin twice daily for 7 days in 2014 to 20 mg of vonoprazan, 750 mg of amoxicillin, and 200 mg of clarithromycin twice daily for 7 days in 2015-2017. Second-line eradication therapy included 10 mg of rabeprazole, 750 mg of amoxicillin, and 250 mg of metronidazole twice daily for 7 days.

RESULTS

In total, 8067 of 13 055 students participated this project and 206 students were diagnosed with H pylori infection. The success rate of first-line therapy was 45.9% in 2014 and 83.8% after the revised first-line therapy was administered. The final eradication rate was 98.5%. There were no severe side effects.

CONCLUSION

Our results support the use of the H pylori test-and-treat strategy for junior high school students as a safe approach for the prevention of gastric cancer. H pylori eradication therapy with vonoprazan could be a standard therapy in children.

Association between infection and delayed growth in children: A meta-analysis

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is associated with extra-gastrointestinal diseases in children. The present study aimed to investigate the potential association between H. pylori infection and growth in children. The PubMed, Exerpta Medica dataBASE, Cochrane Library and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database databases were comprehensively searched for relevant publications dated between January 1st 1994 and January 1st 2019. Delayed childhood growth was defined according to the age-appropriate criteria in the World Health Organization Child Growth Charts (2006 edition). The odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs were pooled using the fixed-effects model and subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed using Review Manager (version 5.3; Cochrane) and STATA (version 12.0; StataCorp LP) software. A total of 15 observational studies comprising 4,199 subjects were included in the present study. A higher frequency of delayed growth was observed in H. pylori-positive children compared with that in H. pylori-negative children (OR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.28-1.78), particularly for linear growth (OR, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.32-2.00). The aforementioned association was only observed when H. pylori infection was detected using ¹³C-urea breath tests (OR, 1.72; 95% CI, 1.22-2.40) or serum IgG antibodies targeted against H. pylori (OR, 1.81; 95% CI, 1.35-2.44). H. pylori infection was also associated with delayed childhood growth in studies with a H. pylori prevalence of ≤30% (OR, 1.71; 95% CI, 1.31-2.23) or >30% but not >50% (OR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.10-1.86). The association between infection and growth was only statistically significant in the cross-sectional (OR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.18-1.73) and case-control (OR, 1.81; 95% CI, 1.23-2.67) studies. No significant heterogeneity among studies was identified in the present analysis. According to Begg's and Egger's linear regression methods for funnel plots and quantification assessments, no publication bias was identified. The trim and fill method further suggested that H. pylori-positive children were prone to delayed linear growth. Therefore, the present study suggested that preventing and detecting H. pylori infection in children may be critical to ensure normal growth and development during childhood.

Helicobacter pylori Infection in Children and Adolescents

About one-third of all children worldwide is infected with H. pylori and its prevalence is low in developed and high in developing countries. H. pylori is mainly acquired during childhood and transmission of the bacterium commonly proceeds from person to person, especially among family members. The most frequent transmission route is from the mother to children. Various gastrointestinal and extra-gastrointestinal diseases are reported to be associated with H. pylori in children and adolescents, but the strongest recommendation for testing and treating is introduced only with children and adolescents having peptic ulcer disease. Iron deficiency anemia and chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura are also considered for testing and treating, but the effectiveness is somewhat controversial. Invasive diagnosis is recommended, whereas none of the available diagnostic tests have 100% accuracy for reliable diagnosis, and therefore at least two or more tests should be performed. Urea breath test is the most reliable among the non-invasive tests. Because the number of antibiotics-resistant H. pylori strains is increasing, it is desirable to conduct a drug susceptibility test before treatment and to select the corresponding regime. H. pylori has been proven to be a major cause of gastric cancer and 'screen-and-treat' strategies are recommended in communities at high risk of gastric cancer. However, the application to children and adolescents is controversial. An effective vaccine is desirable, but not yet available. Screen-and-treat for adolescents has started in a few areas in Japan, where conditions are well established. New prevention strategies for gastric cancer are awaited worldwide.