Helicobacter Forums

Hello, I am a 32 yr old woman living in Alaska. When I was 14 my mother died of stomach cancer. It was the kind that worked from the middle lining out and completely covered the outside of her stomach in cancer. Last yr I was diagnosed with H. Pylori after complaining about various stomach issues. I was treated and felt fine for awhile. My symptoms started returning and I am going to be starting another round of antibiotecs. I am concerned about my pylori becoming resistant and I am obvioulsy concerned with my family history. My mothers Dr. is positive H.pylori played a big roll in my mom's cancer. What would you suggest and what questions would you have me ask my Dr. ? Any help is greatly appreciated. It is a big relief to see this site full of information.

The main thing is to get rid of the H.pylori and eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables - or vitamin C. If you cannot get rid of the Hp i.e. it is resistent to antibiotics, then have a gastroenterologist put the 'scope down and 1.) measure the pH of the gastric juice (suck it out and test with litmus paper); 2.) take some biopsies around inside the stomach (top middle and lower, on each side). If they just show normal H.pylori inflammation then you are reasonably safe. If they show metaplasia (looking like intestinal cells) or atrophy (the acid glands are missing leaving space); or if there is low stomach acid, then that is a worry.
These tests will tell you how much effort you should put into eradicating the Hp. But if you have a family member who had cancer of the stomach then it is almost certainly worth trying several times. Check out our stomach cancer pages http://www.helico.com/disease_stomach.html and FAQ pages http://www.helico.com/faq_diseases.html .

Thank you for all the advice. You mention low stomach acid, right now they have me on omneprazole to try to stop ulcers from developing again but should I be worried about the fact that it cuts down on the stomach acid? Thanks again for the advice.

Omeparazole also cuts down the H.pylori so, on average, your risk probably stays the same. Regardless of omeprazole, ridding yourself of Hp is still worthwile.

Hello, this is some months later and I am now starting that 2cd round of antibiotics. My practitioner put me on the exact same antibiotic regim I was on last year. Should I ask to recieve a different set of antibiotics? Also the way they tested me this time around was with a blood test, reading your site though I see that a blood test is not reliable after having already had a infection a year ago. I have been having reflux and burping issues again but should I be doing these antibiotics without knowing for sure if I am reinfected? Thanks so much for all your help.

Hello all,

I just wanted to share our experience with everyone... and also see if anyone here has had any similar experiences.

Like many families, we have lost alot of loved ones to Cancer. It seems every year there is a new diagnosis and ultimately a new death.

All of this cancer comes from my fathers immediate family : My grandmother had Linitis Plastica (a rare type of gastric cancer), my grandfather had gastric cancer, my aunt had breast cancer, my father had lung cancer and another aunt had Linitis Plastica. I now have an uncle who has been diagnosed with gastric cancer and is awaiting surgery to have his stomach removed.

To put it all in context, my grandparents had 7 children together.. so in that family of 9, 5 have died of cancer and one is now battling the disease.

The most recent death was my aunt of Linitis Plastica, it was during her illness that doctors took note of the strong family occurance of cancer and took a keen interest to the amount of gastric cancer. She was sent, just 1 month before her death, for genetic counselling and ulimately testing for a possible mutation of the E Cadherin gene. The results recently came back and she did indeed have the mutation.

After researching this gene and it's mutation as much as I could, I learned that it is also linked to breast, lung and bladder cancer. It's still really shocking for me... and a little scary. I was told that 83% of women with this gene get stomach cancer. 83%! 67% of men with the gene get stomach cancer.

Because screening is highly unreliable for linitis plastica, doctors recommend having a preventitive gastrectomy. Infact, most people who have undergone the gastrectomy have had screening with negative results and cancer cells were still found in their stomach after having it removed. In addition to that, if the gene is present then they recommend 6 month MRI's as screening for breast cancer.

I feel a little sad, to think that my father died 3 years ago without knowing this, without screening or options or knowledge of any of this. I have 4 kids, and worry that it will turn out that I've given them this horrible gene.... I guess we'll find out soon if I am positive. I am set to go for genetic counselling soon, and although I'm worried... I find the whole thing fascinating as well.

Does anyone else here have this gene or this much cancer in thier family?

The main thing is to get rid of the H.pylori and eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables - or vitamin C.

Thats true but here a question arises. If someone is saying that he became fine after diagnose and treatment, what can be the cause of getting this again? I mean there must be some precautions which one should take after his treatment. Its just the way to go.


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"Going High"

Hi there.
Please post an update and tell us all about your genetic test. How much did it cost and what was the recommendation from your councillors. What is the ancestry of that gene? What next?

Cancer of the small intestine is a rare form of cancer typically caused by four types of tumors or classifications. The most common type of small intestine cancer is adenocarcinoma. Other, less common types are: carcinoid tumors, gastrointestinal stromal tumors and lymphomas. If your doctor suspects intestinal cancer they might order a barium contrast study, an upper GI tract endoscopy, an ultrasound or a colonoscopy depending on what type of cancer is suspected and the likely location. If tumors are found a biopsy will be performed to confirm that the cells are cancerous.The most common method of treatment of small intestinal cancer is surgery. The doctor will remove all of the visible tumor and some of the surrounding healthy area to ensure that all cancer has been removed. With lymphomas, the most common treatment is radiation therapy.

Chemo and radiation therapies success rates are low, about 30% per oncology doctor. Never give up those conventional treatments. In fact the best defense against cancer is our body’s immunity system.