Genomic technology predicts gastric cancer risk

A research team led by the National University Health System (NUHS) and Duke University School of Medicine used genomic technology to better understand intestinal metaplasia (IM), a known risk factor for gastric cancer. Patients with IM are six times more likely to develop gastric cancer than those who do not. This study is an important part of an ambitious investigation to understand why some people develop stomach cancer, while others do not. The study, published in the top cancer research journal Cancer Cell, can also help detect patients infected with H. pylori.

According to statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO), stomach cancer is the third deadliest cancer in the world, with more than 300 deaths each year in Singapore. It is believed that the disease is caused by H. pylori infection, but it can be treated if found early. Unfortunately, more than two-thirds of patients with gastric cancer are diagnosed only at an advanced stage.

Previous genetic research on IM mainly focused on patients who have been diagnosed with gastric cancer, but how to predict the occurrence and development of the patient’s condition is beyond power. This new study is the first to comprehensively map the gene map and can help We better predict the possibility of disease occurrence and development.