Gastric Cancer and Associated Pathogens: Is There Any Association in Moroccan Region?

Abstract Purpose: Helicobacter pylori, Epstein-Barr virus and human papillomavirus are three pathogens associated with various human cancers. This study aimed to investigate the role of these pathogens in gastric cancer in Moroccan population Methods: For this, a retrospective study has been conducted on participants attending the gastroenterology department of Hassan II University Hospital of Fez. A total of 279 participants were enrolled. H. pylori, EBV and HPV were detected and genotyped by PCR.Results: A significant association has been established between H. pylori, EBV and gastric cancer. 93.4% and 43.3% of gastric cancer cases are related to H. pylori and EBV respectively (p≤0.01). H. pylori-EBV co-infection is responsible of 31.6% of gastric cancer cases (p<0.01). Correlation between pathogens genotypes and gastric cancer shows 55.6% of GC EBV positives are carrying the 30bp deletion in LMP1gene, while 16% of gastric cancers cases are carrying high-risk genotypes of HPV (p=0.21). Conclusion: The obtained results highlight the possible role of co-infection in gastric cancer development.