The year in Helicobacter – Malignant diseases

The link between Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection and gastric cancer is well estab­lished. Recent studies shed further light on the effects of an H. pylori screen-and-treat approach on primary prevention of gastric cancer. The residual risk following eradication highlights again the need to further define the ‘point of no return’ when the preventive effect of eradication is impaired. This also includes data on the impact of H. pylori eradication on the risk of metachronous and recurrent gastric cancer after endo­scopic resection of early lesions. Further studies explored the relevance of H. pylori infection in the context of systemic gastric cancer treatment. Recent research has offered new perspectives into clinical characteristics of gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma and the role of H. pylori eradication treatment in H. pylori-negative cases. The emerging issue of antibiotic resistance in the treatment of these patients was also addressed. The risk between H. pylori infection and colorectal cancer and its premalignant lesions has also been explored with studies mainly focusing on causality, whilst additionally exploring potential modulatory effects of eradica­tion therapy on these risks. In this article, we have summarized the most noteworthy findings on the topic, focusing primarily on the stud­ies with significant clinical implications published in the period between April 2024 and March 2025.