ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori (Hp) is recognized as a type 1 carcinogen for gastric cancer associated with pre-neoplastic lesions (atrophy and intestinal metaplasia [IM]). Its relation with p53, which intervenes in the cell cycle, has had contradictory results. AIMS: To analyze p53 expression in gastric mucosa and its relation with Hp infection. METHODS: A 3-month prospective, observational, cross-sectional study was conducted. Patients that had no evidence of acute or clinically significant gastric pathology had biopsies taken according to the Sydney system at the Hospital Juárez de México and the histopathologic studies were done at the Hospital Español de México. RESULTS: Hp prevalence was 32.7% in 104 patients. There were no cases of atrophy or dysplasia. A total of 91% of the infected patients were positive for p53. Of the non-infected patients, 14% were positive for p53 and 60% of them had IM. Of the IM patients, 75% presented with positive p53. Of the patients without IM, 31 presented with positive p53, and Hp was positive in 85% of them. There was association between Hp and p53 and between p53 and IM (P<.0001 and P<.0006, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Significant association was shown between Hp and p53 expression, even in patients with pre-neoplastic lesions that no longer presented with Hp. Given that the identification of pre-neoplastic lesions is important for the prevention of cancer, immunohistochemistry could benefit routine biopsy carried out during endoscopy for the detection of Hp, by identifying patients with expression of the important oncogene regulator, p53.