St Petersburg University doctors develop a way to predict the risk of stomach cancer
Researchers from St Petersburg University have studied the condition of patients with stomach cancer and identified 36 risk factors for the disease. Their work resulted in compiling a special chart that makes it possible for a doctor to determine the risk of developing the disease and to carry out appropriate therapeutic and preventive measures in time. This is one of the goals of the Healthcare National Project.
Stomach cancer is a malignant tumour that develops from the epithelium of the mucous membrane of the stomach and can metastasise to other organs: the lungs, oesophagus, and liver. According to the World Health Organization’s 2020 data, the disease ranks sixth among all cancers (1.9 million cases per year) and fourth in mortality (769,000 cases per year).
The research findings are published in the scientific journal ‘Experimental and Clinical Gastroenterology’
The issues of early diagnosis and prediction of stomach cancer occupy a special place in present-day oncology, because changes in habits and lifestyle can often significantly reduce the incidence of the disease. The researchers from St Petersburg University have been studying ways of predicting the development of gastrointestinal diseases for many years. The studies have been supervised by Andrei Baranovskii, Doctor of Science (Medicine), Head of the Scientific, Clinical and Educational Centre of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at St Petersburg University, Chief Gastroenterologist of the Northwestern Federal District.
We have studied the signs and symptoms of 143 patients between the ages of 32 and 83 who had already been diagnosed with stomach cancer, and identified 36 of the most common symptoms − precursors to the onset of the disease. Based on this list, and using the appropriate apparatus of mathematical statistics, we can say that a person is at risk of developing cancer in the near or distant future.
Andrei Baranovskii, Doctor of Science (Medicine), Head of the Scientific, Clinical and Educational Centre of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at St Petersburg University, Chief Gastroenterologist of the Northwestern Federal District
According to Andrei Baranovskii, these factors are important for prognosis only if taken in totality and it is not possible to draw conclusions about cancer risks from each of them individually. However, a detailed study of each symptom and sign, and a comprehensive and dynamic monitoring of them, allows the problem to be detected in good time and treatment or prevention to be started. According to the researchers, the clinical and genetic prediction chart created is about 80 % accurate and is suitable for any patient, as it allows each individual to be studied individually.
Such factors include: atrophic gastritis, especially associated with Helicobacter pylori, i.e. a bacterium that infects the gastric mucosa; impaired mucosal regeneration processes; genetic factor; bad habits; and psychological factor to name just a few.
Today, the fight against cancer is an important part of the Healthcare National Project, one of the goals of which is to reduce cancer mortality by 8 %.
‘Unfortunately, nowadays many people do not visit a doctor until they have serious health complications, forgetting about prevention. At the same time, we see in practice that often when risks are detected and a long-term potential for survival is predicted, it is still possible to avoid the deadliest. A person only needs to do a few things: adjust their diet, give up alcohol and, of course, undergo regular check-ups to rule out or minimise the risk of developing not only cancer but also precancerous diseases,’ explained Professor Baranovskii.