Julie Parsonnet
Publication Details
-
Helicobacter pylori and gastric cancer: what are the benefits of screening only for the CagA phenotype of H. pylori?
Helicobacter. 1999; (2): 69-76
Strains of Helicobacter pylori that express the CagA protein are associated with a threefold increased gastric cancer risk as compared to H. pylori strains that do not express CagA. Screening and treatment only for CagA antibodies should target those individuals at highest gastric cancer risk while reducing the number of patients requiring antibiotics. We compared the costs and benefits of screening asymptomatic 50-year-old individuals for CagA, screening for all H. pylori strains, and no screening, both in the United States and abroad.

