Objective  To assess the correlation between Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection and colorectal cancer.

  Methods  Seventy patients with colorectal cancer who were diagnosed and treated at The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from June 2015 to June 2020 were selected as research participants and 99 healthy individuals who underwent physical examinations at this hospital during the same period were selected as controls. The ¹³C urea breath test was used to detect the Hp infection rate in the colorectal cancer and control groups.

  Results  Fifty-one (51.52%) and 47 (67.14%) cases were positive for Hp in the control and colorectal cancer groups, respectively. The Hp-positive rate was significantly higher in the colorectal cancer group than in the control group (P < 0.05). Univariate analysis of the colorectal cancer and control groups showed that Hp infection was an independent risk factor for colorectal cancer (odds ratio=1.923, 95% confidence interval: 1.019-3.632, P < 0.05). Among patients with colorectal cancer, the Hp infection rates in the high-medium and poorly differentiated groups were 54.29% and 80.00%, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The Hp infection rates of patients with clinical stages Ⅰ- Ⅱ and those with clinical stages Ⅲ- Ⅳ were 52.00% and 75.56%, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). However, there was no statistically significant difference in the Hp infection rates among patients with colorectal cancer in terms of sex, age, location, morphology, microsatellite status, and pathological classification (P>0.05).

  Conclusions  Hp infection may be a risk factor for the occurrence and development of colorectal cancer.