Helicobacter pylori test-and-treat strategy for second-year junior high school students aimed at the prevention of gastric cancer in Takatsuki City

Background More than 90% of gastric cancer cases are caused by Helicobacter pylori infections. To prevent gastric cancer, an H pylori test-and-treat strategy targeting young people has been implemented in various places in Japan. In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of an H pylori test-and-treat strategy for second-year junior high school students in Takatsuki City. Materials and Methods In 2014-2017, a urine-based H pylori test was used for initial screening. The final infection status was determined by a C-13-urea breath test (C-13-UBT). Successful H pylori eradication was confirmed by C-13-UBT 3 months after treatment. First-line eradication therapy was changed from 10 mg of rabeprazole, 750 mg of amoxicillin, and 200 mg of clarithromycin twice daily for 7 days in 2014 to 20 mg of vonoprazan, 750 mg of amoxicillin, and 200 mg of clarithromycin twice daily for 7 days in 2015-2017. Second-line eradication therapy included 10 mg of rabeprazole, 750 mg of amoxicillin, and 250 mg of metronidazole twice daily for 7 days. Results In total, 8067 of 13 055 students participated this project and 206 students were diagnosed with H pylori infection. The success rate of first-line therapy was 45.9% in 2014 and 83.8% after the revised first-line therapy was administered. The final eradication rate was 98.5%. There were no severe side effects. Conclusion Our results support the use of the H pylori test-and-treat strategy for junior high school students as a safe approach for the prevention of gastric cancer. H pylori eradication therapy with vonoprazan could be a standard therapy in children.