2019 Volume 57 Issue 3 Pages 345-355
To reduce the mortality due to gastric cancer in the future, we aimed to perform a check for the Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori ) infection for the first time in the Iwate Prefecture. For 5 years, this check has been conducted in collaboration with A City, a Municipal Medical Association, and Iwate Prefecture Cancer Society as the examination institution from FY2015. The participants are generally the residents of A City who are 20,25,30,35,40 years old. Fecal H. pylori antigen testing is used for the primary examination. The primary examination rates were 43.2% (2,067/4,786) in 2015 and 39.8% (1,885/4,742) in 2016. An additional precise examination of those who were positive for the H. pylori antigen in the primary examination was performed in 81.2% (220/271) participants in 2017. This resulted in the successful eradication of H. pylori in 98.5% (194/197) via appropriate treatment. It is believed that continuing such examinations will contribute to reducing gastric cancer mortality and H. pylori infection. Herein, we investigated the relation between H. pylori infection and gastric mucosal change using an X-ray examination in 263 participants who simultaneously underwent population-based examination and fecal H. pylori antigen screening. In addition, when gastric X-ray images were examined for overlapping cases of the organized gastric cancer screening and a check of H. pylori infection in A City, 27 of 263 cases showed dissociated results: 3 of 27 (11.1%) without X-ray atrophy and the remaining 24 (88.9%) with antigen negative and X-ray diagnosed atrophy. The data suggest that irrespective of the H. pylori examination results, residents should undergo an X-ray examination for gastric mass survey.
