As a result of large-scale genetic analysis of genetic information, research groups such as RIKEN have discovered several genetic mutations that greatly increase the risk of developing stomach cancer due to H. pylori infection. People with these genetic mutations may have a greater effect on reducing the risk of stomach cancer by eradicating H. pylori.

RIKEN Research Fellow Yoshiaki Usui and a group from the Aichi Cancer Center and others compared and analyzed the genetic information of approximately 1,1000 gastric cancer patients and 4,4000 people without cancer in Japan, and investigated the relationship between genetic mutations and gastric cancer risk.

They found that mutations in nine genes were associated with an increased risk of stomach cancer.

Of these, mutations in four genes involved in gene repair, such as BRCA, which is associated with the development of breast cancer, were found to greatly increase the risk if infected with H. pylori, one of the causes of stomach cancer.

When people infected with H. pylori were estimated to have a risk of developing stomach cancer by age 9, 4.85% of people without a genetic mutation had a gene mutation,

compared to 14.4% for those with one of the four genetic mutations.

Eradication of H. pylori is said to reduce the risk of developing stomach cancer, but the research group says that "people with these genetic mutations may be more effective at eradicating bacteria."