Research shows that the risk of developing stomach cancer can accumulate long before the first signs of the disease appear. Factors influencing this process include age, smoking, genetic changes in the blood, and even bacteria present in the oral cavity, as reported by the agency Lenta.ru.
The findings were obtained by scientists from Duke-NUS Medical School and the National University Health System of Singapore (NUHS). The results of their work were published in the journal Cancer Discovery (CD).
During the study, over 1500 samples of intestinal metaplasia—a precancerous condition of the stomach lining—were analyzed, collected from six countries. The research showed that even at this early stage, mutations that herald the development of cancer accumulate in the cells. Particularly concerning were the changes in the ARID1A gene, which were associated with an increased risk of tumor formation and an unfavorable prognosis. Additionally, the scientists discovered a specific "signature" of DNA damage linked to oxidative stress, which is exacerbated by smoking.
