New view of stomach cancer could hasten better therapies

In a massive effort to catalog the molecular causes of stomach cancer, scientists, including researchers from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, have identified four subtypes of tumors based on shared mutations and other molecular abnormalities. They say the new classification promises to advance clinical research to develop improved therapies for the third-leading cancer killer worldwide.

In a report in Nature, investigators of The Cancer Genome Atlas Research Network said they analyzed 295 samples of gastric (stomach) cancer, looking for ways to sort them into groups with similar key DNA defects and molecular aberrations. It was extremely important, they said, to identify categories that would be useful in guiding therapy for patients.