Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common cancer, and the third leading cause of cancer death in the United States. CRC rates are substantially higher in western Europe and North America compared to the rest of the world. In part, this is due to diet and lifestyle (e.g., red meat and processed food consumption, obesity, sedentary lifestyle). Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a bacterial infection affecting > 50% of the world’s population and approximately 35% of people living in the United Kingdom. It causes ulcers and stomach cancer. However, H. pylori treatment with antibiotics drastically reduces stomach cancer risk.
A recent study found that a single H. pylori treatment with antibiotics in China, where stomach cancer is quite common, also reduced risk of death from CRC. There is some evidence that H. pylori may increase CRC risk, but the evidence western Europe and North America is very limited. We will use UK Biobank data to examine if H. pylori increases CRC risk and if H. pylori treatment in infected individuals reduces CRC rates like H. pylori treatment does with stomach cancer.
This study would provide preliminary evidence as to whether H. pylori treatment could reduce the burden of CRC at the population level. This is particularly important because CRC rates are increasing in younger people despite a decline among older persons. Because CRC incidence is so high in western countries, even a small reduction in CRC attributable to H. pylori treatment would present an important opportunity for public health interventions. This project only involves analyzing existing data and therefore should take no longer than one year to complete and obtain important results.