Prevention of gastric cancer through eradication of H. pylori is one of the most promising strategies to reduce the global impact of cancer in the near term. Our long-term goal is to prevent gastric cancer by developing and validating an effective, simple, and low-cost approach to eradication of H. pylori. Our immediate goal, therefore, is to conduct a randomized study to compare the effectiveness of three different drug regimens for H. pylori infection. The three study arms are: Standard therapy - 14 day, 3-drug regimen of Lansoprazole, amoxicillin and clarithromycin (PACx14); Concomitant therapy - 5 day, 4-drug regimen of lansoprazole, amoxicillin, clarithromycin, metronidazole (PACMx5); Sequential therapy - 10 day, 4-drug regimen of lansoprazole, amoxicillin for 5 days, followed by lansoprazole, clarithromycin and metronidazole for 5 days (PAx5/PCMx5).
The purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness of three different antibiotic regimens against Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori).