Better Monitoring to Prevent Stomach Cancer
Stomach cancer often develops from precancerous lesions known as intestinal metaplasia. These lesions can be monitored through endoscopy, but they are difficult to see and identify with certainty. As a result, some high‑risk areas may go unnoticed, limiting doctors’ ability to intervene at the right time and to tailor patient follow‑up appropriately.
Making the invisible visible
Researcher Isabella Tai, from BC Cancer, is leading a project aimed at improving the detection of intestinal metaplasia. Her team compares normal gastric tissue with tissue containing precancerous lesions to identify proteins that are specifically present on the surface of these lesions.
These proteins could serve as biological markers: by targeting them with imaging agents, the lesions would become more visible during endoscopy. Over time, this approach could not only enable the detection of all at‑risk areas in a patient but also help identify which lesions are most likely to progress to cancer. Higher-risk patients could then benefit from closer monitoring and earlier intervention, with the ultimate goal of preventing stomach cancer.
Thanks to the support of the Cancer Research Society (CRS) and its donors, we can develop innovative approaches. Over the long term, this work will not only improve our ability to detect and monitor patients at risk but also help us discover new therapeutic targets that can be used to stop the transition to stomach cancer.
Your impact
Thanks to the support of CRS and its donors, innovative projects are advancing efforts to anticipate cancer before it develops. Your support enables researchers to develop new approaches and technologies that help physicians detect abnormalities earlier and make more informed decisions, leading to better, more precise care for patients.
Project Title: Cell surface markers to identify intestinal metaplasia in gastric cancer surveillance
British Columbia
2025-2027,
$135,000