Researchers presented a study at the American Gastroenterological Association's 2016 conference that claims patients with Barrett's esophagus are more likely to have early stage gastrointestinal cancers beyond the gastroesophageal junction, General Surgery News reports.
The findings surprised several researchers because Helicobacter pylori infections are a major risk factor for gastric cancers, but people with H. pylori infections seldom develop Barrett's Esophagus.
Researchers analyzed endoscopy data for 108 patients with non-cardia gastric cancers at New York City-based Mount Sinai Hospital.
Nine patients had a confirmed Barrett's Esophagus diagnosis.
Here's what they found.
1. Seven of the patients with Barrett's had stage zero or stage one cancer, compared with 40 percent of those without Barrett's.
2. None of the patients with Barrett's developed dysplasia or adenocarcinoma.
3. Overall, 7.4 percent of patients had H. pylori infections.
Researchers found no links between H. pylori and the presence or absence of Barrett's, despite the two diseases having an "unclear relationship."
The researchers disclosed the study did not identify upper endoscopies however.
Researchers concluded that a relationship exists between the two diseases, and said the findings warrant further study.