New Molecule Discovered That Helps Gastric Cancer Patients Survive Longer

Patients whose primary gastric cancer lesions express high levels of microRNA 506 have significantly longer survival times compared to other patients.

Researchers at Southern Medical University have discovered a molecule that can help clinicians predict survival time of people afflicted with gastric cancer, a significant health problem in developing countries which is typically associated with late-stage diagnosis and high mortality.

Patients whose primary gastric cancer lesions express high levels of microRNA 506 have significantly longer survival times compared to patients with low miR-506 expression, the findings showed.

Treating H. Pylori Infection With Anti-Ulcer Drug can Prevent Gastric Cancer
Combining antibiotics with gastric acid suppressors given for one to two weeks prevented the development of gastric cancer compared with placebo or no treatment.

In addition, miR-506 suppresses tumor growth, blood vessel formation, and metastasis or cancer spread, the study noted.

"Our study suggests that miR-506 acts as a tumor suppressor in gastric cancer," explained lead investigator Xin Song from Southern Medical University in Guangzhou, China.

"Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is an important process that enables cancer cells to invade their surroundings and to metastasize," Song said.

Simple Breath Test Could Help Diagnose Esophageal And Gastric Cancer In a Jiffy
Patients breathe into a device similar to a breathalyzer, which picks up distinctive odors produced by cancerous tumors, helps doctors detect early signs stomach cancer.

"Our study presents evidence that miR-506 is a potent inhibitor of EMT," Song noted.

The study involved 84 patients who had undergone cancer surgery.

Cancer Specific Cell for Potential Treatment of Gastric Cancer Identified
A team of scientists has identified the cancer specific stem cell which causes gastric cancer.

When samples were divided into groups with miR-506 levels above and below the mean, survival was found to be significantly longer in patients with high miR-506 expression.

The investigators next examined miR-506 expression in cells from seven gastric cancer cell lines.

Gastric Cancer Risk Depends Heavily on the Coevolution Between Humans and Bacteria
The ancestry of a person and the ancestry of the Helicobacter pylori bacteria with which that person is infected has a significant influence on the risk of that person developing gastric cancer.

They found that gastric cancer cells had lower levels of miR-506 than normal stomach tissue.

The findings appeared in The American Journal of Pathology.

Source-IANS