Study links common stomach bacteria to 1 in 5 bowel cancer cases globally

A global analysis has drawn a meaningful line between a common stomach bacterium and roughly one in five bowel cancer cases worldwide, suggesting that a significant portion of one of humanity's most prevalent cancers may have an infectious origin. This finding places microbiology at the center of oncology's oldest question — why do cells turn malignant — and offers a rare thing in cancer medicine: the possibility of prevention before disease begins. If the association proves causal, the story of bowel cancer may shift from one of treatment and survival to one of infection, intervention, and av