Discovery of More Than 600 Genes May Lead to Suitable Treatments for Stomach Cancer
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Ryan McVay/Photodisc/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Researchers have identified more than 600 new genes that are mutated in stomach cancer, and say that the findings may bring about treatments suited to the genetic make-up of stomach tumors, Health Day reports.
Less than 25 percent of stomach cancer patients survive more than five years after being diagnosed with the disease. The senior author of the study said that a lot is still unknown about the genetic abnormalities that cause stomach cancers, which could explain the poor treatment outcome. According to the World Health Organization, stomach cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide and takes the lives of more than 700,000 people every year.
Researchers found that changing the functioning of the two genes that were identified modified the growth of stomach cancer cells. The study appears in the online April 8 issue of Nature Genetics.
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