Prof John Atherton

Prof John Atherton

Nottingham Digestive Diseases Centre
University of Nottingham
Nottingham

How do bacteria cause stomach cancer?

Professor John Atherton is director of the Nottingham Digestive Diseases Centre. His research focuses on how infection with a type of bacteria called H. pylori can cause stomach cancer in some people. Professor Atherton's group is comparing different strains of H. pylori to work out why some strains increase the risk of cancer while others are harmless.

Stomach cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death worldwide. But although H. pylori infection is a major risk factor, only about 3 out of every 100 people infected with the bacteria will go on to develop the disease. Finding out more about which strains are more likely to cause cancer would allow doctors to identify people most at risk.

H. pylori contains a toxin called VacA. Professor Atherton's group have discovered that some strains of H. pylori contain a more toxic version of VacA than others. The researchers have evidence that it's this 'active' VacA that may be involved in causing stomach cancer.

In study of over 40 stomach cancer patients, they discovered that around 80 per cent of these patients had been infected with toxic H. pylori strains.

Professor Atherton's group are now hoping to discover how H. pylori infection can cause damage to the stomach. They are also investigating what makes 'active' strains more likely to cause cancer.

This research could lead to new ways to prevent stomach cancer by helping doctors to select and treat those people at greatest risk.

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