"The TOGAS pilot - "H.Pylori Screen-and-treat Study in a Population of Young Adults" has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov and received positive confirmation!

The main objective of the Pilot study 1 within TOGAS project is to assess the feasibility of population-based H.pylori test-and-treat strategy for gastric cancer prevention in Europe. The project will allow us to assess the feasibility of implementing H.pylori test-and-treat program in an early 30’s age group at the population level, which will be carried out for the first time in Europe. This will come with scientifically valid assessment of programme processes, acceptance, effectiveness and possible adverse consequences.
Objectives include a demonstration of feasibility and acceptability of the proposed population-based H.pylori test-and-treat strategy in a community healthcare service setting or similar approach. That objective will be implemented by the Slovenian study described in this protocol, as well as comparable studies in Romania, Croatia, Poland, Ireland and Latvia.
The assessment of predefined quality indicators and achievements of each project task will consequently allow us to scale up the project to the national level, for example, by instituting a national program for gastric cancer prevention with population-based H.pylori test-and-treat program in the asymptomatic population around 30 years of age in different EU countries. The implementation of this strategy as a national program could result in significantly reduced gastric cancer incidence, disease burden and costs of other H.pylori-related diseases in the medium and long term in Slovenia and other participating countries, thus serving as a model for the implementation of this strategy in Europe.
The results of the study can help to guide other EU countries with intermediate and high gastric cancer incidence when implementing similar strategies. The results can also help to guide EU countries with low gastric cancer incidence when implementing similar programs for their subpopulations at risk (e.g. family members of patients with gastric cancer and immigrants from countries with high H.pylori infection and gastric cancer incidence). If implemented in a young adult population, the program can prevent further spread of H.pylori infection by curing the infection before or when they have just started their own families, therefore reducing the risk of intrafamilial transmission.
As shown in previously published economic evaluations of the strategy, the program is not only cost-effective in gastric cancer prevention, but also in other high-risk areas. Besides that, H.pylori eradication will also prevent other serious clinical complications, such as peptic ulcers, dyspepsia, primary immune thrombocytopenia and anaemia caused by H.pylori infection."