Helicobacter pylori Infection, Intestinal Metaplasia, and Gastric Cancer Risk in Eastern Siberia.

Background: The incidence of gastric cancer (GC) is extremely high in Russia and eastern Siberia, where information on the epidemiology of Helicobacter pylori infection is fragmentary.

Aims: To assess the prevalence of both H. pylori infection (including CagA status) and intestinal metaplasia (IM) in Russian and eastern Siberian populations carrying a different risk of GC.