Background: Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection, traditionally associated with gastric disorders, has increasingly drawn attention for its potential role in extra-gastric pathologies. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is among the diseases under scrutiny, with emerging evidence suggesting a possible link between HP infection and CRC risk.
Objective: This study aimed to assess the correlations between H. pylori infection and colorectal cancer.
Subjects and methods: A total of 85 individuals were recruited from the Internal Medicine Department of Benha University Hospital through the period from January 2023 to July 2023 and categorized into two groups. Group 1 consisted of 50 patients with confirmed CRC following colonoscopy and histopathological examination. Group 2, the control group, included 35 individuals without CRC. Both inpatients and outpatients aged 18-70 years of both sexes.
Results: patients with CRC were older and had lower hemoglobin levels, higher leukocyte counts, and elevated urea, creatinine, and international normalized ratio (INR) compared to controls. However, there were no significant gender differences. When categorized by H. pylori stool antigen presence, no age, gender, or laboratory parameter differences emerged between those with positive and negative antigen status. Notably, multivariate analysis revealed a substantial association between H. pylori stool antigen positivity and a nearly tenfold increased risk of CRC, even after adjusting for age and gender, highlighting the potential link between H. pylori infection and CRC in this study population.
Conclusions: The present study confirmed the predictor value of positive stool antigen for H. pylori infection for development of colorectal cancer.