H pylori seroprevalence in patients with lung cancer

AIM: To assess H pylori seroprevalence in lung cancer and determine whether there is a potential association between lung cancer and H pylori infection. METHODS: The study was conducted on forty consecutive patients with lung cancer, confirmed by pathology (32 men, 8 women; mean age 55.50 +/- 11.91 years, range 16-77 years). Forty healthy subjects (25 men, 15 women; mean age 43.08 +/- 12.60 years, range 20-79 years) from the patients' family members were matched to each case subject on the basis of age and socioeconomic status. H pylori infection was detected with a commercially available immunoglobulin G (IgG) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Trinity kit, Biotech co., USA), previously validated in adults (86% sensitivity 96% specificity) against a gold standard of culture and histology. RESULTS: H pylori seropositivity was present in 52.5% of patients with lung cancer in comparison to 45.0% of healthy control subjects. Although H pylori seropositivity was more frequent in lung cancer patients than in controls, the difference did not reach statistical significance (OR = 1.35, 95% CI = 0.56-3.25; P = 0.65). In addition, there was no significant difference between cases and controls in terms of gastrointestinal symptoms. CONCLUSION: The earlier described association between H pylori infection and lung cancer was not supported in this study. Further studies with larger sample sizes should be undertaken to assess the frequency of H pylori infection in patients with lung cancer and their potential association. (C) 2007 The WJG Press. All rights reserved.