Serum pepsinogens and Helicobacter pylori in relation to the risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in the alpha-tocopherol, beta-carotene cancer prevention study.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Helicobacter pylori can induce gastric atrophy in humans, which in turn increases gastric cancer risk. Whether H. pylori and gastric atrophy also affect the risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), however, remains unresolved.

METHODS:

We performed a nested case-control study within the prospective Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study to assess these relationships. The Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study is composed of 29,133 Finnish male smokers, ages 50 to 69 years, who were recruited during 1985-1988. Using baseline sera, we assessed H. pylori status (via immunoglobulin G antibodies against whole-cell and CagA antigens) and gastric atrophy status [via the biomarkers pepsinogen I (PGI) and pepsinogen II (PGII)] in 79 ESCC cases and 94 controls. Logistic regression with adjustment for age, date of blood draw, education, cigarette smoking, alcohol, body mass index, and fruit and vegetable intake was used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI).

RESULTS:

Gastric atrophy (PGI/PGII <4) was associated with ESCC (OR, 4.58; 95% CI, 2.00-10.48). There was no evidence for an association between H. pylori and ESCC (OR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.40-2.24).

CONCLUSIONS:

These results could be explained by misclassification of H. pylori status due to serologic amnesia, ESCC risk being dependent on the functional consequences or interactions of H. pylori rather than the infection per se, gastric atrophy having a different histogenesis in ESCC without being primarily dependent on H. pylori acquisition, or a lack of statistical power to detect an effect.

IMPACT:

Validation of these results may warrant mechanistic studies to determine the route of association between gastric atrophy and ESCC.

• Authors: Michael B Cook, Sanford M Dawsey, Lena Diaw, Martin J Blaser, Guillermo I Perez-Perez, Christian C Abnet, Philip R Taylor, Demetrius Albanes, Jarmo Virtamo, Farin Kamangar
• Journal: Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev) Vol. 19 Issue 8 Pg. 1966-75 (Aug 2010) ISSN: 1538-7755 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 20647397 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural)
• Copyright: (c)2010 AACR.

Chemical References

• Biomarkers
• Pepsinogens
• beta Carotene
• alpha-Tocopherol

Topics

• Aged
• Atrophy
• Biomarkers (blood)
• Carcinoma, Squamous Cell (blood, epidemiology, microbiology)
• Case-Control Studies
• Esophageal Neoplasms (blood, epidemiology, microbiology)
• Finland (epidemiology)
• Helicobacter pylori (pathogenicity)
• Humans
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Pepsinogens (blood)
• Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
• Risk
• Smoking
• Stomach (pathology)
• alpha-Tocopherol
• beta Carotene