Infection is one of the main contributors to cancer development particularly the chronic infection mainly hepatitis B and C viruses, Helicobacter pylori, Clonorchis sinensis, and Opisthorchis viverrini, the biological agents have been identified as group 1 carcinogens by the International Agency for Research on Cancer Monographs (Oh and Weiderpass, 2014). Recently, Infection with Helicobacter spp. plays a role in the development of various cancer have been reported including biliary tract carcinoma mainly cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). There has been a strong, positive correlation between opisthorchiasis-associated CCA and infection with Helicobacter. Infection with H. bilis and H. hepaticus species can cause biliary cancer (Chang and Parsonnet, 2010). Recently, Deenonpoe et al (2015) reported the liver fluke O. viverrini in the biliary tree of the hamsters harbors H. pylori and Helicobacter-like bacteria. Accordingly, the association between O. viverrini and H. pylori may be an obligatory mutualism and possible risk of CCA. Boonyanugomol et al (2012b; 2012c) reported an association between H. pylori and hepatolithiasis or CCA in people in northeast Thailand, a region endemic for opisthorchiasis. Molecular mechanisms integral to H. pylori induced hepatobiliary diseases have also been reported (Boonyanugomol et al. 2011; 2012a).
Therefore, update on the association of Helicobactor species and CCA is required, mini-review critically analyzed the literature through the PubMed and Ovid MEDLINE databases searched, using a combination of relevant text words and MeSH terms: Helicobacter and/or cholangiocarcinoma, bile duct neoplasms, intra-extrahepatic, common bile duct, gall bladder cancer and biliary tract cancer.