As a result of an increasing number of studies showing a connection between PPI and stomach cancer, more patients are expressing their concerns about the dangers.

Frequent users of the medication might need to be aware of the risk of stomach cancer and PPI, particularly if the patient has been infected with Helicobacter pylori. This bacteria has been connected to stomach cancer, as has the frequent use of PPI medications.

PPI medications are some of the most frequently used by patients when treating dyspepsia and reflux disease. However, recent studies have revealed a connection between the use of a PPI and stomach cancer, especially if that patient has regularly used that kind of medication over the course of his or her life.

This means that, even for those patients who have eradicated their H. pylori infection, long-term use of PPIs is not recommended. While eliminating that bacteria decreases the risk of stomach cancer significantly, those long-term takers of PPIs should still be aware of their increased risk profile.

For those patients concerned about PPI and stomach cancer coming to their doctors for reflux systems, other options such as lifestyle and diet changes should be pursued first, according to experts. Lifestyle modification could help to address the problem without the risk of stomach cancer and PPI use.

According to previous research, stomach cancer is the third most common cause of cancer death around the world and numerous studies have found the connection between stomach cancer and PPI use.

One of the most recent studies looking into these issues explored the experiences of more than 63,000 patients who were given a combination of two antibiotics designed to kill H. pylori while also taking a PPI.

Those patients were followed for seven years or until the patients passed away, developed stomach cancer, or the study concluded. Of those study participants, more than 3,000 people used PPIs for longer than three years. Another 22,000 people took H2 blockers like Zantac or Pepcid.

In total, those patients using the two antibiotics and the PPIs numbered 153. All of those patients had inflammation of the stomach lining despite not testing positive for H. pylori in their system.

Those patients who used H2 blockers did not have any higher risk of stomach cancer, but those who took PPIs has more than twice the risk of receiving a stomach cancer diagnosis, according to study conclusions.

The study also revealed that the number of patients at risk for PPI and stomach cancer was much higher for those who were using the drugs on a regular basis. Those people who used PPIs each day had four times the risk for stomach cancer compared with those who were only taking the drug once per week.

According to study results, the longer that a patient used these drugs, the higher the risk of the PPI and stomach cancer connection. The risk increased based on how long the person had been taking the drug. The risks went up by five times after a person had used the drug for more than a year up to more than six times after two years or longer regarding stomach cancer and PPI use.