Individuals and Family-Screen-to-Treat-Based Helicobacter pylori Eradication Strategy for Gastric Cancer Prevention: A Latin American Perspective.

Gastric cancer (GC) is a public health concern due to estimates indicating it ranks among the most prevalent cancers and leading causes of cancer-related deaths globally. In Latin America, a region significantly impacted by high mortality and incidence of GC, chronic H. pylori infection remains the primary cause of GC, with an overall prevalence of around 42.5% from 2015 to 2022. Asian countries have developed innovative strategies for primary and secondary prevention. Among the most notable primary and secondary screening programs were endoscopy-based screening in Japan and South Korea; a nationwide population-based H. pylori eradication program in Bhutan; mass H. pylori eradication in the Matsu Islands of Taiwan; and a recently developed family-based H. pylori eradication strategy in China. In this Opinion Review, we discuss the opportunities and pitfalls of implementing an individual-and family-screening-based H. pylori eradication strategy for GC prevention in Latin American intermediate- and high-risk areas.