Could microbiome analysis be a new diagnostic tool in gastric carcinogenesis for high risk, Helicobacter pylori negative patients?

Abstract

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) has long been believed to be the major colonizer of the stomach, but recent advances in genetic sequencing have allowed for further differentiation of the gastric microbiome and revealed the true complexity of the gastric microbiome. One of the few studies specifically evaluated the microbiome in the H. pylori negative patient population. They concluded that various stages of gastric carcinogenesis are associated with distinct bacterial taxa that could service both a predictive and diagnostic purpose. While the study has some limitations, the conclusions they make are intriguing and should prompt a larger prospective study to be done that spans multiple geographic regions.

Keywords: Dysplasia; Gastric cancer; Gastric carcinogenesis; Intestinal metaplasia; Microbiome.