Funded by Gastric Cancer Foundation
While Helicobacter pylori is the major risk factor for development of stomach cancer, only 1-2% of those infected with H. pylori get gastric cancer suggesting the existence of additional necessary factors. We hypothesize the oral bacterium Fusobacterium nucleatum, which normally does not colonize the stomach, can colonized the altered tissue environment created by H. pylori infection to further drive tumor progression. Testing this hypothesis will yield new insight into the mechanisms of bacterial carcinogenesis and highlight new opportunities for intervention.
