Four-Gene Combo Might Predict Lethality Of Stomach Cancer
By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, April 25, 2025 — Four specific genes serve as a telltale clue to how potentially deadly stomach cancers will develop and progress, a new study says.
Testing for these genetic mutations could enable doctors to offer targeted treatments and spare some patients from going through aggressive measures like surgery or chemotherapy, researchers will argue at the upcoming medical conference in San Diego.
"Not all stomach cancers are equal,” lead researcher Dr. Ulysses Ribeiro, a professor at the São Paulo State Cancer Institute in Brazil, said in a news release.
“Today, most gastric cancers are treated the same way — with surgery and chemotherapy — but we hope to identify key molecular differences so we can tailor treatment to the biology of each patient’s tumor,” Ribeiro said.
For the study, researchers analyzed 21 genes in tumor samples taken from 87 patients who’d undergone surgery and chemo for stomach cancer.
The team then compared how mutations in these genes tracked with patients’ survival.
About one-third of patients had changes in a specific combination of four genes — BRCA2, CDH1, RHOA and TP53 – and those patients were more likely to die from their cancer or have it return, results show.
That genetic combo contained well-established cancer drivers like BRCA2 mutations, which have been linked to breast and ovarian cancer, as well as previously unknown genetic variants, researchers said.
Researchers are now working to match these findings to established lab tests that could make it easy and affordable to screen tumors for the identified high-risk genetic pattern.
“We believe that these findings move us closer to more personalized treatment based on each tumor’s biology,” Ribeiro said.
He is scheduled to present these findings at the Digestive Disease Week meeting on May 3. Findings presented at medical meetings are considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
Sources
- American Gastroenterological Association, news release, April 25, 2025
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted April 2025
Read this next
Burnout and Stress Continue to Plague the Nursing Profession
WEDNESDAY, April 30, 2025 -- The nursing workforce remains under immense pressure due to stress, burnout, and persistent short staffing, according to a report released by Cross...
Milwaukee Closes More Schools to Address Lead Crisis
WEDNESDAY, April 30, 2025 — Milwaukee will temporarily close two more elementary schools as it works to tackle a lead crisis in its public school buildings. The school...
New HHS Ad Campaign Urges Americans to 'Take Back Your Health'
WEDNESDAY, April 30, 2025 — U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is preparing to launch a multimillion-dollar public health campaign, according to...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.