{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,4]],"date-time":"2026-09-04T13:15:53Z","timestamp":1788527753272,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":24,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,4]],"date-time":"2026-09-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1788480000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Children"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Helicobacter pylori infection is a major cause of gastric cancer, and eradication before advanced precancerous gastric changes develop provides a biologically plausible opportunity for primary prevention. Adolescence represents a strategically favorable, although not universally established, window for intervention in Japan because persistent childhood-acquired infection can be identified before extensive mucosal damage while school-based programs provide organized access to defined birth cohorts. This narrative review evaluates the evidence supporting population-based adolescent H. pylori screening, its potential harms and uncertainties, and the lessons derived from Japanese implementation. Representative programs demonstrate that organized screening is feasible but show substantial heterogeneity in participation, diagnostic pathways, antimicrobial resistance, eradication outcomes, and retention across the care cascade. Direct evidence that adolescent screening reduces future gastric cancer incidence or mortality is not yet available. As H. pylori prevalence declines, the balance among screening yield, diagnostic performance, antimicrobial exposure, cost, and equity will continue to change. International experience further indicates that prevention strategies should be matched to local epidemiology and healthcare systems. Adolescent screening should therefore be viewed as an adaptive prevention strategy whose target population, diagnostic pathway, and treatment approach require periodic reassessment.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/children13091191","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,4]],"date-time":"2026-09-04T12:20:46Z","timestamp":1788524446000},"page":"1191","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Adolescent Helicobacter pylori Screening for Gastric Cancer Prevention: Current Evidence and Future Perspectives"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9995-5522","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Toshihiko","family":"Kakiuchi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Departments of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Saga University, Saga 849-8501, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5263-2868","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Masumi","family":"Okuda","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatrics, Hyogo Medical University, Nishinomiya 663-8501, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hiroyoshi","family":"Endo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Internal Medicine, Saiseikai Karatsu Hospital, Karatsu 847-0852, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Masafumi","family":"Oka","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departments of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Saga University, Saga 849-8501, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5345-3770","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Yasuhisa","family":"Sakata","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Saga University, Saga 849-8501, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kazuma","family":"Fujimoto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Graduate School of Medicine, International University of Health and Welfare, Okawa 831-8501, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1195-0074","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Motohiro","family":"Esaki","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Saga University, Saga 849-8501, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"e70090","article-title":"Global cancer statistics 2024: GLOBOCAN estimates of incidence and mortality worldwide for 34 cancers in 186 countries","volume":"76","author":"Sung","year":"2026","journal-title":"CA Cancer J. 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Infect."}],"container-title":["Children"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2227-9067\/13\/9\/1191\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,4]],"date-time":"2026-09-04T12:32:37Z","timestamp":1788525157000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2227-9067\/13\/9\/1191"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,4]]},"references-count":24,"journal-issue":{"issue":"9","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9]]}},"alternative-id":["children13091191"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/children13091191","relation":{},"ISSN":["2227-9067"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2227-9067","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,4]]}}}