According to new research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), early treatment of a common stomach infection known as H. pylori can reduce or eliminate the risk of stomach cancer.

The researchers at MIT created mice prone to accelerated H. pylori infection and progression to stomach cancer. They found that mice treated with antibiotics had less severe disease at every stage of infection.

The scientists concluded that removal of H. pylori prevented stomach cancer to the greatest degree when antibiotics were given at an early point of infection, but therapy given at a later point also delayed the development of lesions that can lead to cancer. Researchers say the study shows that early intervention provides the maximum benefit in prevention of stomach cancer.

Stomach cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death worldwide and about half the world’s population is infected with H. pylori, which causes both peptic ulcers and stomach cancer. It usually takes several decades for the cancer to develop in people who are susceptible- about 3 percent of those with H. pylori.