Most stomach cancers “are caused by chronic infection with H. pylori and can be prevented by treatment of the infection with a combination of antibiotics and proton pump inhibitors,” wrote the research team led by Jin Young Park, a scientist with the International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon, France.

Globally, stomach cancer is on the rise in young people, but new research shows that three-quarters of future cases could be prevented by screening for and treating a common bacterial infection: Helicobacter pylori.