Helicobacter pylori: the cause of human gastric cancer
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Abstract
Background. Many studies found an association between an infection of human stomach with Helicobacter pylori and the development of human gastric cancer, but none of the studies identified Helicobacter pylori as the cause of human gastric cancer. The basic relation between gastric cancer and Helicobacter pylori still remains uncertain.
Methods. Naomi Uemura et al. conducted a long-term, prospective study of 1526 Japanese patients, 1246 had H. pylori infection and 280 did not (mean follow up 7.8 years, endoscopy at enrolment and then between one and three years after enrolment). None of the uninfected patients developed gastric cancer. Uemura et al. could not use Cox proportional-hazards models to calculate the difference in the incidence of gastric cancer, other insufficient statistical methods (Kaplan-Meyer analysis, chi-square test or Fisher's exact test) were used. In so far, Uemura et al. failed to detect the basic relationship between Helicobacter pylori and human gastric cancer. The study of Uemura et al. was reanalysed using the conditio sine qua non relationship and the mathematical formula of the causal relationship c. These methods are already known since 1989. All P values are one-sided; significance was indicated by a P value of less than 0.05.
Results. Using the conditio sine qua non relationship, it could be proofed that without an infection of human stomach with Helicobacter pylori no development of human gastric cancer. On the other hand, using the mathematical formula of the causal relationship c, it was able to prove that Helicobacter pylori is at the same time the cause of human gastric cancer.
Conclusions. Without an infection of human stomach with Helicobacter pylori no development of human gastric cancer. Helicobacter pylori is the cause of human gastric cancer. The successful treatment of a Helicobacter pylori infection of human stomach will prevent from human gastric cancer.