Scientists are investigating the causes of stomach cancer after a “worrying” rise in young adults with the disease.
Although cases are declining among older people, there has been a two percent annual increase in diagnoses in those under 50 in recent years, leaving experts baffled.
Worryingly, in half of these cases the cancer is already advanced, meaning it is “almost a death sentence”, with a survival rate of just four per cent.
Now, concerned doctors have launched a new study to find out whether the common bacteria H. pylori, which also causes stomach ulcers, could be to blame.
If the theory holds up, it opens the possibility that simple antibiotics could be offered to high-risk patients in an attempt to prevent cancer from developing.
Zak Wilcox was 40 years old and was diagnosed with stomach cancer. He died just three months later and his mother believes the H. pylori he contracted as a teenager could have been the culprit.
Zak with his nephew, days after his terminal cancer diagnosis. Doctors have launched a new study to find out if H. pylori could be to blame for the increase in stomach cancers in young people
dr Jessica Sheth Bhutada, a pediatric oncologist at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, was part of the team that first recorded the increase in younger patients with stomach cancer.
she said healio.com: ‘We don’t have a clear reason why this happens; It is a global phenomenon.
‘There is no literature to explain why we are seeing this disturbing trend.
‘We have some ideas, since in colorectal cancer we know that possible (triggers) include changes in dietary patterns, the use of antibiotics and alterations of the gut microbiome.
“However, there are no studies investigating whether this could be related to the increasing incidence of stomach cancer.”
This, says Dr. Sheth Bhutada, prompted her current study.
“(We want to) try to understand why young adults get stomach cancer and how we can detect it earlier and even prevent it,” he said.
“The goal is to perform a multi-level analysis on individual factors, such as chronic H. pylori infection, obesity risk, and connect them to the risk factors of the patient’s neighborhood, such as living in food deserts (a neighborhood with limited access to fresh foods and nutritious products) or access to health care.
Color microscopic image of a human stomach (blue) infected with the bacteria Helicobacter pylori (red)
The World Health Organization (WHO) said aggressive strains of H. pylori are among the most dangerous superbugs and pose a major threat to the human race.
“How do these factors influence a person’s risk of developing stomach cancer, especially when they are young?”
H. pylori, or Helicobacter pylori, is a type of bacteria that 40 percent of people carry in their stomach.
Between 80 and 90 percent of cases cause no symptoms, but can cause stomach ulcers, indigestion, bloating or nausea.
H. pylori can be detected with a blood, breath, or stool sample test and can be treated with antibiotics and other medications.
Prolonged H. pylori infection is known to cause some stomach cancers in older adults.
Other factors, such as smoking and diet, can increase the risk of H. pylori causing cancer, according to Cancer Research UK.
In China, aggressive testing and treatment of the virus has led to a decline in cases.
Experts may ignore the symptoms of stomach cancer, meaning cases are not diagnosed until the disease is advanced and incurable.
However, Dr Sheth Bhutada said: “The challenge is that we don’t know the extent to which H. pylori infection causes stomach cancer in young adults and whether or not (the Chinese approach) would be an effective strategy.”
One young case, Zak Wilcox, was just 40 years old when he died of stomach cancer in 2021.
As reported by MailOnline, his mother Rebecca believes he became infected with H. pylori during a backpacking trip to India when he was a teenager.
In India, 80 percent of the population carried H. pylori and Zak developed an illness similar to food poisoning.
In the years that followed, he suffered indigestion before more severe stomach pain forced him to visit his GP and landed him in hospital.
Of her diagnosis in 2020, Ms Wilcox said: “I couldn’t believe Zak had cancer – he was apparently fit and healthy, had a good diet and only drank socially.” It was terrible.’
The software engineer died just three months after the tumor was detected.
Wilcox has since started a campaign to raise awareness of a £7 test that can detect H. pylori, believing it triggered her son’s cancer.
The new research comes amid growing concern that more adults under 50 are getting cancer than ever before.
Over the past 30 years, diagnoses in young people (of all types) have soared by 80 per cent worldwide and 25 per cent in the UK, according to a 2023 international analysis.
Cancer deaths among adults ages 40, 30 and younger increased 27 percent during the same period.
While the reason for this is not yet entirely clear, earlier this year Professor Charles Swanton, oncologist and chief medical officer at Cancer Research UK highlighted concerns about the growing consumption of ultra-processed foods and colorectal cancers.
Speaking at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, he said studies have shown that some early-onset cases may be “initiated” by bacteria in the gut that are prevalent in those who consume low-fiber, high-sugar diets. .
Dr Sheth Bhutada added: ‘I’m concerned that diet is a big factor (also in stomach cancer), but we don’t know what specific dietary risk factors exist.
‘For example, we know that in the case of colorectal cancer, a high-fiber diet and limited exposure to red meat can be useful preventative measures, but the environment of the stomach is different from that of the colon.
«This indicates that little is known about this disease, especially in younger patients.
‘“We anticipate having some publishable results within the next six to 12 months, so we can finally begin to have an impact on this deadly disease.”