Researchers discovered a promising biomarker that occurs in certain people before stomach cancer develops.
Scientists at the University of Arizona Health Sciences hope to diagnose stomach cancer before it develops in those at risk. In a paper that was published in the journal Gastroenterology, researchers found a genetic difference that could help doctors figure out when Helicobacter pylori patients are more likely to get stomach cancer.
According to the National Cancer Institute, H. pylori infection is the leading cause of some types of stomach cancer. H. pylori is a bacteria that thrives in the mucosa, or stomach membrane layer.
As explained by The study’s senior author, Juanita L. Merchant: “if you are carrying this particular allele, you are more likely to have an aggressive type of response to the bacteria that can result in complications.”
H. pylori is more common in Hispanics, African Americans, and the elderly in the United States. According to Dr. Merchant, 1-3 percent of persons with H. pylori will develop gastric cancer, with a cure rate of roughly 30 percent, which is poor when compared to other types of cancer.
A current diagnosis of stomach or gastric cancer necessitates an upper endoscopy, during which a doctor examines the patient for symptoms of cancer and collects a tissue sample for investigation.
Dr. Merchant and his colleagues have been researching innovative approaches to detect stomach cancer in its earliest stages for years. They published findings in 2020 on a promising biomarker that appears in some patients prior to the onset of stomach cancer.
The current research focuses on the molecular mechanisms that drive immune cell activation in response to H. pylori infection, specifically the role of toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) in this process.
TLR9 is a receptor found in immune cells that tells the immune system when it’s time to combat an infection. H. pylori infection, on the other hand, can repeatedly activate TLR9 over time, resulting in chronic inflammation. The existence of long-term inflammation induced by H. pylori infection is thought to be one of the triggers for stomach cancer to develop.
Dr. Merchant, a research member of the UArizona Cancer Center, said, “This addresses the question of what role the immune microenvironment has in gastric cancer. We have shown that these immune cells do play an important role.”
TLR9 activation in the stomach causes a cascade of events, including increased production of interferon, a signaling protein that can alter the genetic profile of specialized immune cells known as myeloid-derived suppressor cells, or MDSCs, according to the researchers. MDSCs have been associated to H. pylori infection in the past.
Dr. Merchant and her team studied each stage of the pathway and discovered a specific genetic mutation — allele rs5743836 TLR9 minor C — that was connected to increased TLR9 and interferon levels as well as a higher risk of gastric cancers. A single nucleotide polymorphism, or SNP, is a genetic alteration in the DNA that occurs between two genes.
“Because TLR9 and the SNP can be tested by DNA, they could be used as biomarkers to help us identify which patient populations are going to be more susceptible to the cellular changes that might lead to cancer based on their genetic background,” Dr. Merchant said. “Those are the patients who could benefit from increased endoscopic surveillance.”
In the long run, the findings may also lead to new ways to treat patients.
Dr. Merchant explained, “We have previously found a real-time biomarker in a blood test, and now we have something we can see in DNA.
“Our next step is to look at therapy options.”
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