RESUMO
INTRODUCTION: Helicobacter pylori is an important causative factor in gastric carcinogenesis; its role in extra-gastric gastrointestinal malignancies such as oesophageal cancer is controversial. H. pylori is thought to cause extensive gastric atrophy associated with squamous cell carcinoma of the oesophagus. We conducted a study to determine the prevalence of H. pylori infection in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oesophagus. METHOD: We collected biopsies from the antrum and corpus of 59 patients with confirmed squamous cell carcinoma of the oesophagus, two from each area. These were then examined by an experienced histopathologist using methylene blue staining for the presence of H. pylori. RESULTS: H. pylori was found in 30 (51 %) of the patients, a prevalence similar to that of the general population in South Africa. Five patients were found to have associated intestinal metaplasia, and all but two had chronic inflammation. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of H. pylori in our patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oesophagus is 51 %, similar to that previously reported in the general population.
