Long-term proton pump inhibitor use is a risk factor of gastric cancer after treatment for Helicobacter pylori: a retrospective cohort analysis

We read with interest the recent publication by Cheung et al. The authors conclude that proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use is associated with a 2.4-fold increase in the risk of gastric cancer in patients who received Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy.1 This is an important finding given that the safety of long-term PPI use remains unclear. Notably, no significant association between histamine-2 receptor antagonist (H2RA) use and gastric cancer was observed, which suggests a PPI-specific effect in this context.

Cheung et al used a large population-based database to select patients after eradication and performed propensity score adjustment analysis. However, as the authors described in the Discussion section, we have concerns about the limitations of this study, in particular the lack of endoscopic and histological examinations, the results of which could influence the association between PPI use and gastric cancer. The presence of gastric atrophy and intestinal metaplasia (IM) in H. pylori-infected...

http://ift.tt/2BQTlRu