P R E S S   R E L E A S E

Extensive research at the Faculty of Medicine of The Chinese University of Hong Kong has proved that antibiotics is effective for eradication of H. pylori and cures gastric ulcers.  Recently the Faculty of Medicine of The Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Peking University Health Science Center (previously Beijing Medical University) collaborated to investigate the effect of treatment of H. pylori infection on the prevention of gastric cancer.  Researchers examined more than 1,000 subjects in Yantai, a high prevalence area of gastric cancer.  Among patients who harboured H. pylori infection, half received a one-week course of antibiotics to eradicate the bacteria, and the other received placebo.  On follow-up one year later, inflammation of the stomach dramatically improved in the group who received antibiotics.  Severe inflammation of the stomach may develop into gastric cancer.  The study also found that progression of pre-malignant changes, i.e. gastric atrophy and intestinal metaplasia, is also reduced in those who had successful eradication of H. pylori.

These results indicate that the testing for and eradicating H. pylori is effective in preventing gastric cancer and have profound implications to the treatment of the disease.  The study was published in the July issue of "Gastroenterology".