Posts by Andrea Eidelman

Linitis Plastica (LP) is one of the most serious forms of gastric cancer. It is a subtype of gastric cancer that presents itself in about 20% of gastric adenocarcinoma cases and can be identified as a “signet ring” via biopsy. With LP, most patients have a 5-year survival of less than 10%, making an early…

Perioperative chemotherapy is the standard method of care for patients with locally resectable gastric cancer. This is based on the results of the British MAGIC and the French FNCLCC/FDD trails, both of which showed a significant overall survival benefit for those who received perioperative chemotherapy compared to those who only had surgery. For those enrolled…

Today, the FDA approved Merck’s Keytruda for microsatellite instability-high (MSI-high) cancers, a tumor type identified by genetic testing. About 4-5% of stomach cancer patients are MSI-high and are now eligible for treatment after at least one prior therapy. This is the first time the FDA has approved a cancer treatment based on a common biomarker…

A new paper by neuroscientists at Stanford University reviews how tumors exploit neuronal signals. It has been noted that cancer cells not only grow near nerves, but also respond to chemical signals neurons secrete. Cancer cells are known for their ability to use the body for their own growth by using blood vessels as a…

At the recent Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium, Dr. Ibrahim Nassour, MD and colleagues at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas presented data that outlined the different characteristics of gastric cancer patients by race and ethnicity. The researchers looked at the information of over 5,000 patients with gastric adenocarcinoma under the age of 45.…

It has been previously accepted that gastric cancer follows the damage and subsequent loss of acid-secreting cells in the stomach, but recent studies published in Gastroenterology by researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine and the Siteman Cancer Center of Barnes-Jewish Hospital challenged that paradigm. In a mouse model, the researchers found that damage…

In a press release, Bristol-Myers Squibb announced the results of their phase 3 randomized clinical trial (ONO-4538-12) conducted in Japan, Korea and Taiwan to assess the safety and efficacy of Opdivo (nivolumab) in patients with unresectable, previously-treated advanced or recurrent gastric and gastroesophageal cancer. The 12-month overall survival (OS) was 26.6% in the patients who…

The American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) has released new guidelines for the treatment of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection in North America. Dr. William S. Chey, MD, FACG, Division of Gastroenterology, University of Michigan Health System and colleagues wrote in an article published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology that significant advances have been made…

Joseph A. Greer, PhD, department of Psychiatric Oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital presented a recent study at the 2016 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Palliative Care in Oncology Symposium. The study followed 350 patients who were recently diagnosed (eight weeks prior to study or sooner) with Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), small cell lung…

According to a report published by the World Cancer Research Fund International (WCRFI), the consumption of processed meats and foods preserved by salting increase the risk of developing stomach cancer. The report showed that consuming the equivalent of two slices of bacon per day increases the risk of developing stomach cancer by 18%. In light…