Relationship Between Helminthasis and Gastric Cancer: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Introduction: helminths are parasitic worms able to produce diverse clinical manifestations in humans, mainly in the gut. Gastric cancer its a high incidence entity in Colombia, being the highland regions where its incidence is the highest in comparison with the lower incidence coastal region. From the above it is intended to determine the relationship between helminthiasis and the development of gastric cancer. Methodology: A systematic review was performed in four databases for studies evaluating the relationship between helminthiasis and the development of gastric cancer. Results: We included 16 articles from 929 records, with 11 articles reporting a positive relationship and 5 articles with negative relationship. Conclusions: Parasitic infections of the gastrointestinal tract by helminths promote TH-2 type immune responses and decrease TH-1 type that are involved in the progression of precancerous lesions associated with Helicobacter pylori infection. Keywords: Gastric cancer, Helminthiases, inflammation.