Stomach cancer will be predicted by microRNA
Biomarker of stomach cancer found
Scientists have identified a biomarker that can predict the risk of developing stomach cancer even before the first symptoms appear. The results of the study are published in the journal of the British Society of Gastroenterologists BMJGut (Ding et al., MiR130b from Schlafen4+ MDSCs stimulates epithelial proliferation and correlates with preneoplastic changes prior to gastric cancer).
Stomach cancer ranks third in the number of deaths among cancer patients in the world. The disease occurs due to malnutrition and adverse environmental factors and can often go unnoticed until the later stages.
Currently, a sample of stomach tissue is taken and analyzed for pathology to diagnose the disease using an endoscopic biopsy procedure.
Biologists from the USA, China and Vietnam has found a biomarker that can be detected with a simple blood test. In addition, it appears in the blood of patients even before the onset of tumor development. The researchers are confident that their discovery will help to detect the disease early and treat it in a timely manner.
The MiR130b biomarker is a microRNA, or small non-coding RNA molecule, which plays an important role in regulating gene expression, influencing the development and progression of the disease.
MiR130b is produced by a group of immune cells called myeloid suppressor cells, usually associated with infections caused by Helicobacter pylori – bacteria that provoke stomach ulcers and cancer.
It is known that stomach cancer can develop long after the H.pylori infection has passed, and these microRNAs clearly correlate with precancerous changes that can subsequently lead to the appearance of a tumor.
"Even if you get rid of the bacteria, often the infection has already initiated a cascade of events that can lead to cancer. That's why early detection is so important," the press release says. The words of one of the authors of the article Yana Zavros (Yana Zavros) from the University of Cincinnati.
It all started with the fact that, studying changes in the stomach of mice caused by H.pylori, researchers found the MiR130b marker in animals, and then the same microRNA was identified in the blood plasma of patients with precancerous changes or with diagnosed stomach cancer in the initial stage.
"This was a retrospective study," said the head of the scientific group, Dr. Juanita Merchant from the University of Arizona College of Medicine. – But now we can start a promising study of this biomarker on various groups of patients. The molecular signature we found will help us see if patients have mucosal changes associated with the presence of H.pylori."
Scientists believe that a minimally invasive blood test will make it possible to make a decision on the appointment of an endoscopic examination.
In addition, the authors hope that the new data they have obtained will help answer the question of why stomach cancer is so difficult to treat and develop new therapeutic methods.
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